Cinders
by FroZehn
Summary: The warmth of a little flame once comforted him in the bitter cold, but now all that remains are ashes and regrets. Duskshipping/Proxshipping. Mainly Pre-GS, but with some Post-TLA content. Rating revised to T, for some violence and minor sexual themes.
1. Home

My first submission to FF! I love this pairing, and there's just so little of it around. Duskshipping FTW! Please rate/review, any criticism or praise is fine by me. ;3

* * *

Cinders

Romance/Tragedy. Duskshipping, Some Proxshipping.

Prologue

The sunrise over Vale had always been a sight Felix enjoyed. The myriad shades of Orange, Red and Yellow peeked above the mountaintops and flooded the small town with light. But now, that was one of the _only_ things about the small mountain town that Felix found enjoyable.

A year had passed since the firing of the final Lighthouse, and because of that the town of Vale had been utterly destroyed. At the time it was a tragic occurrence, but by a stroke of luck the villagers had been warned away from the town and were spared. Since then, Vale had slowly been reborn. The newly constructed town was coined New Vale, and the town returned to its usual slow and carefree existence, despite the release of Alchemy.

The heroes that once freed the world from its imminent demise all returned to their normal lives. Isaac, Jenna, Garet and Felix all returned to their homes in New Vale, however, they were not all greeted with the warmth they had expected. Isaac and Garet, who were originally sent out of Vale to return the Elemental Stars, were generally accepted despite their failure to return the relics. Garet's grandfather was the Mayor, after all, and Isaac was his best childhood friend. There was no ill will towards Jenna either, as she was held captive against her will, and had nothing to do with lighting the beacons. Felix, on the other hand, was held responsible for the release of Alchemy upon the world.

* * *

Cinders

Part 1

Chapter One - Home

"What are we going to do about him?"

"That is yet to be decided. He is responsible for anything that is brought upon this world by the release of Alchemy."

"But Alchemy _had_ to be released! If it wasn't, Prox would have been destroyed!"

"The people of Prox brought it upon themselves. They have committed a terrible Sin."

"That's exactly what the Wise One said… Right before it sicked a three headed dragon on us! It even used his parents… And Isaacs dad!"

"The Wise One also warned us away from Vale before it was destroyed. We must trust in its judgment or be doomed."

"Yeah… But do we really have to punish him?"

"What Felix has done is blasphemy. There must be repercussions."

At that, Felix was sick of hearing the elders banter. "At least Garet's sticking up for me, if you could call it that." he thought.

"Maybe once he's mayor… Wait, what am I saying? Garet? Mayor of Vale?"

Felix laughed at the thought, a bit too enthusiastically, perhaps. The elders inside Garet's house fell silent at the sudden interruption outside their door.

"Damn it, I never was very good as eavesdropping."

Felix dashed for the back of the house as the Mayor burst through the door with a surprising force for his age. "Who's there? If that's you Aaron, you are in SO much trouble when the meet is over!"

"Whew…" Felix panted, out of breath. "Garet's grandfather is faster than he looks…"

Felix returned home, thankful that the Elders had not caught him eavesdropping. He did feel a little guilty that Aaron may take the blame, though. The Elders were always a bit stingy when it came to village politics.

As he crossed the bridge at the center of town, over the river where he almost lost his life, he began to smell his sister's cooking drifting downstream. The water smelled of cinnamon and mountain pine, spices found outside the village. Felix had always loved his sister's cooking; Mars Adepts seemed to have a tendency to become good cooks.

The smells also reminded him of Menardi's cooking. They used similar spices in Prox, as a similar pine grew in the nearby mountains west of the small winter town.

Felix let out a sigh. He never spoke of Prox, it was a touchy subject among the townsfolk, but the town was constantly on his mind. He didn't feel comfortable discussing it with Jenna or the others, but it had been nagging at the back of his mind for the past several days.

In truth, it wasn't the village itself that was on his mind. A certain Proxian woman had tormented his dreams ever since the events that had torn them apart. It didn't take much to remind him of her, nor did it take much to make him miss his former home in the north.

"Felix!"

Jenna called him from the door to their home, the smells from the kitchen becoming even stronger now that the door was ajar.

"Jenna, I can smell your cooking a mile away. What's that _tantalizing_ aroma?" Felix said in a mocking tone. He always enjoyed picking on his younger sister, although her temper often didn't put up with it.

"It's curry, and if you don't eat it, I'll be cooking you next." Same old Jenna.

His sister's temper never bothered him; in fact, it was comforting that Jenna was strong enough to take care of herself. Felix was used to fiery tempers, and the strength of those behind them.

Felix reclined against the bed in his upstairs bedroom, the aroma of familiar spice drifting through the cracks in the floorboards. Thoughts of his friends who had left raced through his mind - Piers, Sheba, even Ivan, Mia and the others… And those who wouldn't be coming back…

Saturos, Menardi, Agatio and Karst were often on Felix's mind. Although his friends considered them enemies, Felix was the only one who had seen another side to them. He had called them friends and mentors, and deeply mourned their loss. Of all four, he mourned Karst the deepest.

The Proxian girl had captivated him since he had met her in her small town. Their friendship had flourished, but Felix had had other intentions.

"Just forget about her, it never would have worked." Felix sighed.

"She probably hated you… Of course she didn't want you. She's Proxian, I'm Valian… It just doesn't happen."

"…Just forget."

* * *

Vale – Four years ago.

* * *

It had been an almost ordinary day. There was word that a group of travelers had visited the town to speak with the village council, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Vale often had a multitude of pilgrims and scholars in search of the famous "Sol Sanctum" seeking to gain entry.

Felix and his family had just set down for their evening meal, the usual curry that his mother made. It was always too hot and burned Felix's mouth and throat, but he ate it anyway.

That night the most unusual storm had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Felix had been told to stay inside, but Vale almost never had weather so fierce. His curiosity got the better of him.

"I'll just slip outside and see, then I'll be back before anyone notices a thing." He thought, though that would be far from the truth.

As he made his way outside, Felix was in awe of the sheer power that Weyard had unleashed upon the little mountain town. Surely, this was no ordinary storm.

As he stepped further onto the small wooden deck overlooking the river, he could see a group of the village healers heading up towards the Sanctum.

"I wonder what's going on… It must be serious if they're sending all those Adepts up there – "

Felix's thoughts were cut short as a bolt of raw energy emerged from the clouds above the village and struck the river under him.

In surprise, Felix lost his footing on the slippery wooden floor.

"Wh- Whoa!" Felix yelled as he tried in vain to regain his balance.

He fell to the deck and slipped into the raging torrent below, striking a rock on the river bottom as he entered the cold water.

"FELIX!"

He heard Jenna scream as he reemerged from the water, the cold rain again pounding his face. He winced as he saw lightning arc across the sky – He could be killed at any moment if one of those bolts struck the water again.

"Hurry! Someone get help!"

His blurred vision could make out Jenna and his parents standing on the docks outside his home – They couldn't have been more than ten meters away. Felix held on for his life on a wooden stake emerging from the water, a throbbing pain in his right arm told him he must have broken it in the fall.

He could just barely make out the voices of his parents over the raging storm, calling out for help.

If only someone could reach him, perhaps with Psynergy –

Then, everything froze.

He heard a crash, a deafening roar –

He heard his sister scream –

Then everything went black.

* * *

And that's the end of Chapter One! Short chapter is short, but Chapter Two is soon to follow, just once I finish editing it. Reviews Plox!


	2. Exodus

Cinders

Chapter Two - Exodus

Felix began to feel the warm earth under him again.. "Am I alive?" He thought… A pain in his right arm told him he was, although the pain had dulled since his fall into the river. It had dulled far too quickly, someone must have healed him.

"I think the kid's waking up."

An unfamiliar voice; he sounded like an older man, but no one he had ever met.

"Oh is he? Good. I'm sick of dragging dead weight."

That one sounded like a woman… Who were these people?

"Felix, it's okay. Wake up, dear."

"Mom?"

"That's right son, we're safe; everyone is okay."

A wave of relief spread through his body. He was alive, and nobody else was hurt. But who had saved him?

"That's right, Felix, everything is okay, thanks to these travelers."

As Felix's sight began to return to him, he saw his mother and father standing overhead, and Kyle, Isaac's father, sitting by a small campfire.

Across from him, he noticed two people he'd never seen before. They looked strange; the man's skin was blue, and the woman's red. He noticed they even had something that looked like scales along their shoulders and necks.. And their ears were abnormally long and pointed. They both carried weapons, a sword and… A scythe? What type of traveler used a weapon so fierce?

"Oh, no need to thank us. It was just lucky we saw your bodies in the river, or you might have never seen the light of day." The woman spoke with a calm tone, but her voice seemed sharp. She seemed very tense for a simple traveler.

"That's right, you owe us your lives, so you'd best do as we say." This time it was the man who spoke. He seemed harsh.

"I'd best not get on his bad side, though the woman seems kind enough, I suppose." Felix thought to himself.

The two travelers introduced themselves as "Saturos and Menardi". Felix had never seen anyone like them in Vale, or even when he left the town on rare occasions. They looked more reptilian than human, the hard scales covering their shoulders, and probably a great deal more of their bodies, made him a little uneasy.

Their looks didn't really bother him though, and he knew better than to stare. They _had_ saved him after all.

The blue one, Saturos, was speaking to his partner. His voice was hushed, and he spoke with a wide grin across his face. The woman followed suit, and he couldn't help but think the two were planning something…

Suddenly, Saturos turned to face Felix and the others – "We're leaving, and you're coming with us."

Menardi stood next to him, holding her weapon in hand. "And if you try anything, I won't hesitate to cut you all to ribbons." She hissed, glaring at each of them in turn, her eyes resting on Felix's for a particularly long time.

"Now hold on just a minute – " Saturos cut off Kyle's interjection with a swift punch to his side – he heard a crack as his rib shattered and he fell to the ground.

"Do not force our hand. Gather your things, we're leaving immediately."

* * *

Felix clutched the hilt of his small sword as he followed closely behind the two strangers who had taken him from his home, but also saved his life. It was the only possession he had left, other than the clothes on his back and his scarf, a gift from his sister. He had never used the sword for more than simple chores; his father had done any necessary hunting with Psynergy.

Neither had anyone ever taught him how to correctly wield it. The only use a blade had ever been to him was to cut wood or herbs, or meat that was already dead; He never thought he would need to rely on it to save his own life.

After they had left the woods outside of Vale, the party was ambushed by a group of thieves along the southern road. The men, at least five or six, had come along the road and confronted them; Saturos and Menardi were not amused.

The fight was over before Felix realized it had started. He heard the clash of steel and saw a burst of flame, and it was over. The pair then proceeded to usher the group onward and wipe the blood from their weapons.

"I _really _wouldn't want to get on their bad side." Felix thought.

As they continued along the road, they passed through the town of Vault and headed east through a cave in the mountains, and then began heading north. They soon passed through yet another cavern, and emerged to a blinding sea of white and grey.

Felix had never seen so much snow. The layer of white covered the land in its entirety, and the sun was blotted out by a completely white sky. "I never thought I'd see so much snow…" Felix said out loud, greeted by Menardi's laughter. "Pfft, You haven't seen anything yet, brat." Saturos nodded, and shot a quick glance at Felix.

"Indeed. You and your family best prepare yourselves for the journey. We have a natural resistance to the cold, so the northern climate doesn't affect us. But you southerners… You'll be dead within an hour if you don't cover yourselves before we enter the northern reaches."

Felix didn't fully understand what Saturos had meant. Did such a hostile place really exist, and did people really _live_ there?

The thoughts of that place were quickly replaced with awe as Felix and the others approached the northern coast and looked out upon a vast expanse of water. "That's the ocean, Felix. This is your first time seeing it, isn't it?" Felix's mother said as she saw her son staring wide-eyed across the endless water. "Yeah…" Could there really be so much water in one place? Felix was always used to dry ground beneath his feet and his connection to Weyard, the thought of endless ocean around and below him was unsettling.

The group continued along the coast and to the west, where Menardi claimed to have anchored her ship.

Felix had never been so exhausted or walked such a distance without rest in his life. It seemed they had traveled halfway across Weyard in only a day. He could see he was not the only one at his limits; even his parents and Kyle seemed to be struggling to keep up. Saturos and Menardi, however, seemed to have unending reserves of energy. "They could walk all the way back to Vale without a rest, I bet." Felix thought, although he was nearly sure that was impossible. "They _are_ human… Right?"

Saturos suddenly stopped and turned towards him, taking a deep breath and eyeing each of the group in turn.

"We'll be stopping in Imil for the night, and setting out for the northern reaches tomorrow at sunrise. Menardi and I will be watching you; so don't try anything while we're there. You are to stay at the Inn and prepare for the journey, do you understand?"

Felix nodded, and his parents both gave a sigh of relief. Even Menardi seemed relieved to hear that they would be stopping for the night, but Saturos maintained his air of command and dignity.

Imil was a very quaint little town, Felix thought, and the cold wasn't as unbearable as he had expected. The inn held a warm fire and a much-needed bed for each of them. Saturos had left to speak with the healer and buy supplies, while Menardi stayed at the inn to keep watch. "It's not like any of us is going to try anything…" Felix thought to himself, "They could blow us to pieces before we made it out the village gates."

Nevertheless, they kept a strict watch while Kyle, Felix and his family were confined to their rooms for the night.

Felix quickly stripped his uncomfortable leather travel wear and let himself fall into the warm bed. Although he had no idea what the morning would bring, Felix had hopes that it would all be over soon, and that they would be allowed to return home.

Little did he know how very wrong he had been.

* * *

Chapter 2 - Up! Chapter 3 - On the way! Rate/Review Puh-Leeze.


	3. Under Gloom of Night

Cinders

_Chapter Three – Under Gloom of Night…_

_

* * *

_

Felix awoke to a blinding sunrise, the light reflecting off the snow-covered ground outside his window. He could hear his parents speaking to Saturos outside, the soft, warm tones of his mother's voice and the calm gentleness of his father's, contrast to the strict and decisive snaps of the other man.

He began to dress, being sure to wear an extra layer of garments under his usual gear. "I should be okay in this, if it really is as cold as they say…" But from what Felix knew of the pair, it would be even colder. He wrapped a scarf around his neck, just in case.

They set out within the hour, and arrived at the small dock north of the town. The cliffs that lined the coast became less steep and allowed a ship to dock there relatively safely.

The ship in question was massive and of unknown origin, an enormous Dragon adorned the bow and the sides of the ship were decorated with silver designs that made it seem to flow with the waves.

It hadn't quite occurred to Felix what exactly he was seeing, he had only ever heard of such ships in legends.  
"Wait, we're getting on that thing!" He said to the amusement of Saturos and Menardi, who simply scoffed at him and began to board the ship, his parents and Kyle close behind. Felix stood behind and stared down at the waves below the dock. _"So much water… Those waves could easily rise up and sweep us all away! And they really expect me to get on that thing?"_

Menardi spun around on the deck and beckoned him. "Come on, we don't have all day to stand around waiting!"

"I guess they really do." Felix sighed, and took a weary step forward and boarded the vessel.

* * *

"I've never felt so sick in my life!"

Felix gripped his stomach and felt at any moment he might be swept away by the sea below. The vessel swayed unmercifully in the growing tide – it seemed the further they went north, the seas became rougher and the cold became bitterer.

"Felix, are you okay?" His mother said.

"Maybe you should return to your bed dear, you don't look so good."

"Yeah…" Perhaps she was right, it might do him some good to get away from the waves surrounding him.

"Go take a rest, dear. We'll wake you when we reach land."

"Okay."

Felix struggled to cross the deck, nearly losing his balance three times. He could hear Saturos let out a loud burst of laughter as he nearly fell face first against the floor.

_"Bastard… Maybe he can walk at sea, but let's see him try to climb a mountain."_ Felix mumbled under his breath as the blue-skinned man continued to laugh at his futile attempt to crawl his way to the door.

Finally, he crawled onto his small cot below decks and warmed his cold hands by the small fireplace in the corner of the room. The fire was waning, but still held enough warmth to keep him comfortable in the harsh climate. The room was very bare, containing only his cot, the fireplace and a small table where he kept his belongings. Felix drifted in and out of sleep, but the constant rocking of the ship still made him uneasy... It must not have been as bad as he thought, though, if Saturos and Menardi thought it was safe enough to have a lit fire on a wooden vessel.

"I wasn't made for this. I think I actually miss the walking." He said to himself. "The northern reaches must not be very far now, right?"

Felix continued to stare into the ceiling; he remained there for so long he felt like his eyes might have bored holes into the wood. The night had filled the room with darkness; the small fire by his bed was now completely extinguished.

_"We must be there by now! Maybe Saturos is just keeping me below decks to vex me…" "Then again,"_ he thought, _"They aren't really keeping me down here at all. It's the ocean that's doing that."_

Felix quickly wrapped his scarf around his neck and tightened his coat, then ascended the narrow stairs to the deck.

As he opened the door, a blast of frozen wind battered his senses and nearly forced him back into the relative warmth of his bed. Curiosity bested him however, and he resolved to go above decks and see where he was.

The sight was astonishing. A combination of beauty and hostility surrounded him; giant pillars of ice emerged from the water and towered over their vessel that now seemed tiny compared to the massive structures. The night sky was filled with bright stars, and drifts of snow taken by the wind seemed to weave gracefully through them. In the distance, he could make out a bright red spire emerging from between the mountains.

"Mars Lighthouse… So t-this is w-w-where they're t-taking us?" Felix said to himself, his voice broken by the bitter cold.

"No, not exactly, brat."

"Ah! Wh-what the –"

"You're going to freeze to death at this rate. Didn't Saturos tell you to dress warm before we got here?"

Menardi stood behind him, grinning widely at his expression.

"Y-yeah, I –"

"Well, you're no use to us dead. Come on."

She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him back down below decks, then brought him to his room. She looked with distaste at his clothes strewn across the floor and the pile of ashes in the fireplace.

"Ugh, Men. You're _all_ the same."

She stepped over the pile of discarded garments and knelt down by the fireplace. Felix sat on the bed and watched her curiously. She wasn't a kind woman, but she wasn't like Saturos either. The way she tended to the fire, gently rekindling the flame and sweeping the ash from the base… Seemed almost loving. The way she held herself was full of pride, but her expression was different. There was something troubling her, he thought. _"She'll probably bite my head off if I ask, though."_

"…"

"What are you staring at, brat?"

She had finished tending to the fire, and had turned to face him. He must have been staring blankly at her for several minutes without noticing where he was looking.

"Uh – nothing!"

She gave him a look that could have made Saturos fear for his life.

"Never seen a real woman before, have you?" She grinned at him, and laughed.

"Uh –"

His face turned a bright red, to Menardi's immediate pleasure.

"How dare she tease me like this! This isn't fair!" He thought to himself.

"Relax, brat. You're much too young for me." She laughed as Felix smothered himself inside his pillow.

"I wasn't staring! I was just thinking… That you looked troubled, that's all."

Menardi looked at him – Her expression wasn't hostile for once. Instead, she seemed surprised that he would notice such things.

"Troubled with dealing with you, boy. What are we going to do if you end up dead before we even reach Prox?"

"Prox?"

"That's where we're headed. Home. It's where you'll be staying for quite a while."

"…"

"Homesick, are you? Well, there's no use crying about it. Prox isn't so bad, really. You'll get used to it."

Was this her way of trying to comfort him? For the first time since he had known her, the woman seemed sympathetic.

"It's not about home… It's about Jenna… I don't even know if Jenna is alive… Or Isaac, or Garet, or anyone!"

"Jenna… Your sister? I'm sure she's fine. We would have found her too if she had been taken by the river. The same goes for the others." She chuckled for a moment. "And if it wasn't for me, Saturos would have let you _all_ drown."

"You wouldn't get it... She's my younger sister; it's my job to make sure she's okay."

"I have a sister too you know, in Prox. Her name's Karst, she's about your age, too."

"Are you worried about your sister?"

"Of course I am. It's my job."

She smiled at him and left the room. The fire near the bed now burned brightly, and the room became warm and comfortable.

_"Why would Menardi tell me this now?"_ Felix wondered, _"This Karst is probably even more violent than her sister… And almost as evil as mine."_

He laughed to himself; if Jenna and this Karst were ever to meet, all of Weyard would surely go up in flames.

_"I guess Menardi is a kind woman, in her own way. Maybe her sister's the same… Who knows? I just don't really know what to think anymore."_

Felix had never expected Menardi to be anything but the borderline insane woman who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere with her sadistic blue-skinned partner and turned his world upside-down. But perhaps the pair had some good intentions after all… He would just have to wait and see.

* * *

And that's Chapter 3. Edited Slightly for corrections.


	4. Proximity

_Cinders_

Duskshipping, Some Proxshipping. Romance/Tragedy.

* * *

Part II

* * *

Chapter Four – Proximity

The smells of familiar mountain spices slowly reminded Felix of the world around him. His sister's cooking downstairs, the small room around him, the chirps and whirrs of the birds in the light mountain air. The sun was beginning to set behind the peaks. All of it was so familiar, and yet he felt as though something was missing.

He could hear his mother calling from downstairs. She must have returned home while he had been daydreaming.

"Felix! Come downstairs dear, your sister's prepared a meal for us."

He stood, gathering himself and heading downstairs to meet his family. His mother and father sat at the large table in the center of the room, while his sister lifted a steaming iron pot onto the table. She quickly removed the lid with a girlish flick of her hand and a wide smile across her face.

"Ta-da!" Jenna bounced about with glee and smiled at everyone. She only ever acted this way when she was proud of her cooking.

Felix leaned over the table and looked into the pot. The meal looked delicious, the blend of herbs and spices created an inviting aroma, if he hadn't known better, he would have thought it to be the work of a fine chef.

Dinner was uneventful; he remained silent as his sister spoke loudly about how Isaac said she could have been the towns best cook, and how she was hired to work as a chef at the Inn at the end of the season.

His time in New Vale was always this way. Jenna always said he wasn't getting out enough, and that he should go meet a nice girl to while away the long mountain hours with. It wasn't that he couldn't find one outside Vale; he was "The Hero who saved the world" after all, but in New Vale people viewed his actions a little differently, although he couldn't really blame them.

It's not like he was interested in any women anyway, at least not anymore.

"Hey, Felix! Quit daydreaming, your food's getting cold!"

Felix snapped to as his sister smacked his wrist with a spoon.

"Ouch! – Hey, quit it, Jenna!"

"Wake up, Felix! All you ever do now is daydream! What are you even thinking about, anyway?"

Felix sighed. "Nothing…"

He wished he could tell her what exactly he was thinking about. He wished she could somehow understand things the way he did… But that was impossible; Jenna could never understand what he felt.

"Yeah, right," She said, rolling her eyes at him. "You're thinking about some _girl_, aren't you? Don't try to hide it, Felix, I can read you like a book."

"Shit – Does she know?" He thought, "No, she couldn't… I haven't told anyone…"

Felix didn't notice just how red his face had turned, but Jenna certainly did. She was grinning at him non-stop until he finally got up and began to leave the table, picking up his silverware and placing it over by the sink as he left.

Jenna stopped him on his way up the stairs. He glanced at her and continued on up, but she grabbed his shoulder, adamant on stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, Felix. If she's really troubling you so much, why don't you go and talk to her? All you do is sit up in your room…"

She didn't understand. How could she? He just wanted her to leave him alone.

"And if you sit up there all day, nothings ever gonna happen between you two, you know…"

Why couldn't she just mind her own damn business?

"Just go and talk to her…"

He turned to look at her, and shook her hand off his shoulder. She stood there with her hands on her hips, dark-red eyes boring into his, and refused to budge.

"… I can't talk to her, Jenna. You wouldn't understand."

"Felix, don't be an idiot. Just go talk to her already!"

"I can't!"

"And why the _hell_ not?"

"_Because the dead don't talk!_"

Felix yelled into her face and turned away, storming up to the door and slamming it behind him. He didn't bother to look back and see Jenna sobbing into her dress, or his parent's looks of confusion and concern. He couldn't care less about that.

Felix stepped over by the bed and undressed. It was late, the sun had set and he was abnormally tired that evening. He climbed into bed and covered himself with the sheets. The room began to fade from his view, but sleep eluded him. The invisible holes drilled into the wood above his head covered every space on the ceiling; he had had a lot of practice making them after his adventures across the world had finally come to an end. He felt himself slipping back into the world that he missed, the world that had brought him happiness…

* * *

When the group approached the outskirts of the small winter town called Prox, Felix and the others were taken directly to see the village chieftain, a man Saturos called "Puelle". Felix would much rather have been taken directly to a warm bed and a hot meal, but he knew better than to complain. He hadn't expected several hours of trudging through snow half as deep as he was tall after disembarking from Menardi's ship. Saturos and Menardi were probably used to it, but Felix felt like he'd rather die than take another step.

Puelle stood at the entrance to the village near what looked like the town Inn; two guards wearing battle armor similar to Saturos's on either side of him. The men did not draw their weapons, but kept their eyes fixed on Felix and the others as Saturos spoke to the chieftain. Puelle was garbed in red, and a purple robe was draped over his shoulders. The clothing was tattered and overused - the elders of Vale wore much finer garments than this man - but Puelle was a powerful individual, perhaps even stronger than Saturos.

His skin was green and scaled, and extremely rugged. He was older than Saturos or Menardi, and as he began to question Saturos, he spoke in a far gentler tone than what Felix had expected. He kept his eyes on the chieftain; despite the glaring looks the guards gave him.

"What news, Saturos? Do you have the Stars? Where are the rest of our soldiers?"

Saturos looked uneasy, he didn't look the Elder in the eye when he spoke.

"The Valians wanted nothing to do with us. The elders refused to hear us out… So… We broke into the Sanctum and tried to steal the Stars. But the Sanctum held a trap created to protect them… It summoned a storm, and only Menardi and I made it out alive."

Felix stared at Saturos in disbelief. "_They_ caused the storm? _They_ broke into Sol Sanctum? _They_ were the reason his home was destroyed, and his whole family was nearly killed?

"I see… That is a great loss. The Stars may have to wait for another time, then."

"You know as well as I, Chieftain, that we don't have the luxury of time. Coincidentally, we've brought a group of Valians that we'd rescued from the storm. Perhaps the Valian Elders would be more keen to listen to us if they spoke to one of their own."

"Hostages? This was uncalled for, Saturos! These people have done us no wrong."

"They may be of further use to us as well, Chieftain. Three of them are Venus adepts, and the boy looks especially promising."

Felix didn't understand what Saturos had meant.

"Me? What does this have to do with me…?"

"I see… You may be right. But I will so no harm come to these people, understood?"

"Of course, Chieftain."

"Find these people a warm place to stay until I can arrange a former home for them. Treat them as though they were our own."

The Chieftain's party dispersed. Saturos led Felix and the others to a small house on the outskirts of town. The town of Prox was small; the houses were built in the same fashion as those in Vale, but were made from a darker northern wood, the dark colors against the pure white show-covered roofs, the grey sky and the snow covered ground made the little town seem almost serene, and yet it was cold and near inhospitable at the same time.

By the time they reached the house outside of town where they were to stay, Felix could barely keep up the pace. His legs had become almost completely numb, and the sharp sensation in his fingers became more and more unbearable by the second.

The house was similar to the rest of the houses in Prox. It was small, but cozy. The house was poorly built, cracks in the wood and broken glass windows made evident the poverty of the town; or perhaps the Proxians simply chose the oldest and most unkempt home for them to stay in. A small table and a few chairs sat in the middle of the room, and there was a small fireplace with piles of tinder set aside for use. The one fireplace was the only source of heat for the entire home. Even inside, Felix could see his breath freeze in the air.

His mother and father stood by the small fireplace and started to place the tinder inside. His mother conjured a small flame from her fingertips to ignite the cold wood. They way she tended to it reminded Felix of how Menardi had done it on the ship; or perhaps it was Menardi who had reminded him of his mother.

The flames began to burn brightly, but the air still felt as though it was frozen solid.

After guiding them to the house, Saturos left without another word. Menardi had already disappeared shortly after their encounter with the village Elder. Frankly, Felix couldn't care less where they had gone.

"They're the whole reason any of this is happening…" Felix grumbled, "If they hadn't tried to steal the Elemental Stars from our Sanctum, we'd still be home, and I wouldn't be freezing my ass off."

To his surprise, Kyle, who had remained almost completely silent since he had been with them, put his hand on Felix's shoulder.

"They are indeed responsible, but I believe they had no ill intentions. The Elder has promised us an explanation, and we will have it in the morning."

Felix was surprised at the forgiveness Kyle was showing the Proxians. The man had always been kind-hearted, but forgiveness was the last thing on Felix's mind.

"But… Isaac was there too, what if he was hurt, and it was their fault?"

"Isaac is a strong boy, Dora will take good care of him."

Felix didn't have a clue how Kyle could be so calm, but it relaxed him.

"This explanation had better be good."

He laid himself down in a bed near the fire and made himself as comfortable as he could. Fatigue overtook him, and he let himself melt into the hard cold mattress that felt to him like a bed fit for a king.

* * *

Chapter 4 - END. Chapter 5 - In editing progress. ;3


	5. The Unknown

Cinders

Chapter Five – The Unknown

The morning came early for Felix. The cold morning wind entered through the cracks in the doors and windows. The fire had gone out overnight; they had left it burning throughout the night in fear of freezing in their sleep.

Felix shivered and convulsed in the biting cold as he began to dress and get out of bed. "What I'd give to have been born a Mars adept like Mom or Jenna…"

His mother stood in the dining room, standing over an iron cooking pot containing something Felix couldn't quite distinguish, but from the smell it seemed inedible. He could hear her groaning something over the boiling water – "And they expect me to cook for a 3 men and myself with _this_?"

He couldn't say he was eager to try whatever was in the pot, but he hadn't had a decent meal in days. Felix would eat just about anything.

Whatever it was, it tasted almost as bad as it looked; but Felix couldn't care less. He wasn't picky about his food, and didn't complain. His father had sat down beside him and began picking at the greenish substance on his plate. Kyle was nowhere to be seen.

The meal was short lived, however.

Saturos's now familiar voice called through the front door – "The chieftain wishes to see you all! Don't keep him waiting."

They quickly finished their meal and packed up the table, then stepped outside to see Saturos and Menardi waiting to shepherd them on.

The chieftains home was modest, but contained a significant amount of decoration. silk tapestries adorned with images of Dragons and unfamiliar Proxian heroes hung on the walls. Felix wondered where the Proxians would ever get silk – "Maybe they used to trade with Xian… But even Hammet only began trading with Xian recently…" The stories that covered the walls were completely unknown to Felix, but obviously held great importance to the Proxian elders.

The chieftain stood at the head of the room, still wearing the same red and purple robes he had worn when Felix had first seen him just inside Prox.

"Hello, dear guests. Please, sit. I am Puelle, the chieftain of the Fire Clan of the north."

Puelle gestured towards several wooden chairs arranged for them.

The others began to sit down, but Felix refused to budge.

"Go on, boy, make yourself at home." Puelle smiled, but Felix didn't feel like returning it.

"This isn't my home. And we're not guests, we're hostages!" He shouted. His mother and father both shot looks at him at that.

"Dear, don't be rude."

"But it's true!"

"Boy, I'd sit down now before I stick my sword in your gut." Saturos growled from behind him.

"Saturos, there is no need for threats." Puelle spoke in a calm and friendly tone, "Everything will be explained, I promise you, boy… Sit down."

Felix sat beside his mother, still steaming with anger towards the elders. Saturos shot him another menacing look and turned away from the group.

"I understand that your family has been done a great wrong. Our people are at fault, and we sincerely apologize."

"Hah," Felix thought to himself, "Does he really think apologies make everything go away?"

"However," the chieftain continued, "There are extraneous circumstances that you should be made aware of."

The group sat and listened intently.

"As you know, Saturos and Menardi attempted to break into your Sol Sanctum. This was to acquire the four Elemental Stars contained in the inner sanctum."

"Unfortunately, a trap was triggered by mistake, which killed a group of our warriors and unleashed the storm upon your town."

Memories of the storm flooded Felix's mind: The lightning, the boulder… His sister's screams… Did all of this happen because of a trap?

Felix's father spoke up this time – "But that doesn't explain why we haven't been allowed to return home."

"Indeed, you are correct.

The reason you have not been allowed to return home…

Is that our world is quickly coming to an end, and the only solution is the release of Alchemy."

The room fell silent. Felix looked at his parents and Kyle, their eyes staring blankly at the Proxian leader, attempting to consider what they had just heard.

Felix didn't know any better than they did what Puelle meant, but his words seemed adamant and his serious gaze never faltered despite the blank stares he'd received.

The chieftain continued speaking.

"Prox stands on the edge of annihilation, and our only hope for survival is to light the four elemental beacons and restore Alchemy to the world. Otherwise, the Void will continue to grow until it consumes Weyard in it's entirety."

"Void? I've never heard of such a thing." Said Felix's father. Nobody seemed to understand what Puelle had meant by "The Void". Nothing like that had ever been seen or spoken of in Vale.

"The Void is what has become of much of Weyard because of Alchemy's seal. The Void is nothingness, a realm where the Elements that govern our world have no power, and what we know of as reality begins to break apart. Soon, it will consume Mars Lighthouse, and there will be no way to break the seal; that is why I sent our finest to retrieve the Elemental Stars from your village."

The whole group looked uncertain about what the chieftain was saying. "If there was such an evil thing, wouldn't we have known about it by now?" Felix thought, but it was true that this place did feel different… His Psynergy seemed to grow weaker the further north they had gone, and even the mountains that covered the land around Prox seemed to end abruptly behind the red Spire, and become an endlessly flat plain. "Is it possible," he thought, "That something so powerful that it could consume entire mountains could even _exist_?"

"Unfortunately," The chieftain continued, "There is now no way to retrieve the Stars without resorting to violence… Your village elders have refused to listen to reason."

"Well I don't blame them." Felix's father said loudly, "If I could not feel that the earth here was so weak, your talk would mean nothing…"

Felix didn't understand what his father meant, his connection to Weyard had always felt the same, and they were both Venus adepts…

Kyle nodded his head. "I feel it too. It's much more stressful to use even simple Psynergy here."

Finally Felix understood. The reason he couldn't use even simple Psynergy so far north, and why it had become harder and harder to concentrate the further north they had traveled. His power had not grown weaker; the world simply did not have any power to give him.

"Now you understand why action was necessary," The chieftain said, "Although… I truly regret that it had to come to this… We have no choice but to keep you here, for now. Our only hope for the fate of Prox is to convince your Elders to hand over the Elemental Stars."

Kyle nodded. "And you think they'll listen to one of their own."

Puelle took a heavy breath. He stood tall and proud, but it was clear he held a strong sympathy for Felix and his family.

"Yes, that's it. Forgive me, but until the lighthouses are lit, we cannot allow you to leave."

Felix looked at his parents. They both looked as though they understood what the elder Proxian was saying, but he still didn't understand how he was somehow involved with the fate of the world; it seemed too big for someone like him.

"I will have a former home prepared for your family. I do not wish for you to feel as though you are captive... However, if you _do_ try to leave, I will not hesitate to have you watched day and night."

Felix didn't really understand the difference between being captive and not being allowed to leave, but he didn't argue, lest Saturos decide to hold to his word and stick him with his sword.

With that, the chieftain ushered the group out. Saturos led them back to their home yet again on the Chieftains orders; Felix found it funny that the Chieftain even had Saturos running errands. He stopped halfway through and pointed Felix and the others in the direction of the small house and left without a word in the direction of the Elder's home.

All the Proxians and even his parents seemed to be on edge now. Felix just wanted a good night's rest to sort things out, it seemed like almost no time had passed since the moment he had fallen in the river in Vale.

It was already noon by the time he had arrived back at his so-called home. There were no sundials in Prox to tell the time of day, but he knew by the way the Sun beat down from directly overhead and lit up all the pure-white rooftops in the town.

Their rooms had been prepared for them and warm clothes were laid out across their beds. "The elder must have sent someone," he thought; he had trouble stifling the thought of Saturos making each of their beds and preparing their clothes.

The house had a small room for bathing, a walled off section complete with a tub and bucket, and a hand pump to draw water from some unknown well. The water must have been deep underground, because it was not frozen when it emerged as he had expected, but the water quickly became ice cold and froze over in the bucket. The Proxians were all Mars adepts, so he supposed they could just heat the water themselves, but Felix was forced to do it the hard way and wash himself quickly before the water froze over him.

After a much-needed wash, he dressed himself in his new, warmer attire and went to the dining room in hopes the Proxians had provided them with food as well.

His mother and father sat at the small table in the center of the room. His mother turned and greeted him with a small worried smile. "I don't know what we're going to do…" She said as she turned back to his father, "There's nothing we _can_ do, we just have to trust these people for now." He replied, rubbing his temples in frustration. They sat silently now, thinking about what had become of their once simple lives. Kyle was again nowhere to be found, probably off somewhere thinking about his son and wife, still back in Vale and hopefully alive.

Felix grabbed a few of the green herbs from the cupboards and headed up to his room without a word, he didn't feel much like speaking about Vale, or Prox, or anything really. Jenna had always told him he was such a quiet boy, and in the past it had annoyed him. Now, though, he missed his sister more than ever. She had been one of Felix's few friends back in Vale, Isaac and Garet among them, but Jenna was the only other with whom he could speak on a personal level and feel comfortable.

He reclined on the bed in his new room, and let his fatigue cover his thoughts and block out all the confusion that had taken over his life.

The previous night had done nothing for him. Since he could draw no energy from the land here, Felix had to rely on his own strength to hold him. Two days of walking hadn't been merciful, but now that he was back inside a partially warm home and had bathed and been fed, he could feel his natural strength returning to him.

He felt content to just stay there and let the hours fade away for the rest of the day; the next day would surely bring something new, and it seemed like forever since he had truly been at rest.

* * *

Part 5 Up. Six is still in progress, but should be up pretty soon.


	6. First Encounters

Cinders

Chapter Six - First Encounters

Felix woke with a start. He felt like he had just drifted off to sleep a moment ago, but now the light outside was completely extinguished. Something wasn't right; there was something going on outside his room, he was sure of it. He could hear hushed voices and what sounded like the scrape of metal on metal - the subtle sound when someone wearing battle armor moved around in silence.

He started to distinguish their voices, he recognized his parents', and Saturos' as well. Felix got himself out of bed and pressed the side of his head to the door to see if he could hear anything else; no matter what Saturos was up to, it couldn't be good. The sounds of their voices were clear, but he couldn't quite make out their words.

It was pitch dark outside, so it must have been very late, or very early. Saturos couldn't have been in the house long, as the sound of his armor would surely have woken Felix sooner, but why were his parents up as well? He decided to stay inside his room, just in case. He pressed himself closer against the door, trying his best to eavesdrop. He could make out four voices: his parents, Saturos, and it seemed Menardi was there too…

The voices outside fell silent. Before he could back up, the door swung open and took him with it.

"Ah -" He fell forward into Menardi's thick dress, trying to cling to her as she stepped back and let him fall flat on the floor. She smirked at him and put out her hand, helping him back to his feet.

"Looks like the boy was eavesdropping." She said, turning to face her partner.

"It's just as well," Said Saturos, "It's him we came for, anyway."

Saturos turned to him, and gestured for him to come. "Boy, It's time to go. You're not staying here anymore."

For a moment, he thought he was going home. He thought that maybe they realized he wasn't meant for this, and they would take him and his family back to Vale… Back to see Jenna, Isaac and the others again.

His hopes were rather short-lived, however. Menardi pushed open the front door into the freezing cold night, and his mother and father both took stood behind Felix and took his arm and whispered to him…

"It's going to be okay, Felix, we'll be right here…"

"Good luck, son, we love you."

Felix looked at his mother. He could tell she was beyond upset, but she tried her best to keep the tears from her eyes… And his father looked at him and smiled, though he couldn't tell why. He couldn't tell why either of them seemed so sad.

"Aren't you guys coming, too?"

Saturos scoffed at him. "Boy, your parents are no use to us. They would only get in the way."

"Psynergy can be very dangerous. You wouldn't want to hurt them, would you?" Menardi said softly, mocking the way his parents spoke to him…

"They're right, Felix… We'll be here for you, we promise."

His mother hugged him, and Menardi grabbed his wrist and dragged him out the door into the cold. They took him out into the night, without a single explanation of where they were, or where they were going, until they arrived outside another home. From what he could make out in the dark, it looked just like the one his parents were staying in… It seemed that most homes in Prox looked that way; shambled, small, and covered in snow. They stopped outside, and Saturos turned around, waved to his partner, and began heading off into the dark.

"Where's he going…? And where are we? What's going on?"

Menardi sighed at him. "So full of questions, aren't we? Isn't it obvious?"

Felix shook his head, and Menardi sighed again. "Training. You're learning to control your Psynergy, and how to wield a sword. Get it?"

He shook his head again. "No… What about my parents? I thought…"

"You thought what? That your mommy would be watching over you while you learn to fight? That your father, or that other boys, would teach you how to kill without lifting a finger?"

Felix stood there in silence, contemplating what she had said… "Teach me to do _what_?" He thought in disbelief. "She can't be serious…"

"You're staying here. You're learning how to control your Psynergy, and you're learning how to unleash it… I'll show you how to end a man's life with the power you draw from Weyard itself. Saturos will teach you to fight with your sword. Don't you want to put it to good use?"

Felix wasn't sure he _wanted_ to know any of that… Killing wasn't something he ever _wanted_ to master… His parents had always told him not to harm anyone, not even the animals in the forest, unless they needed to use them for food.

Menardi opened the door and stepped inside, dusting the snow off her head and shoulders. She didn't bother to welcome him in. He followed her quickly anyway, it was freezing outside, and he hadn't been given the chance to collect his warmer clothes before he had left.

The home was very cozy, a fire already blazed across the room, where a table and chairs were arranged close to the flames, and various cupboards and shelves sat along the walls. There were steep stairs to what he assumed was the second floor, where the bedrooms should be, if it was anything like a home in Vale.

"Is this… Your house?" He asked. Menardi looked at him and nodded her head. She shook the snow out of her dress, then took off her boots and tossed them over by the door. Felix kept the clothes he _had_ on, he still didn't quite understand what he was doing in the woman's house, and didn't quite feel comfortable making himself at home.

She glanced over at him. "Well brat, this is your home too, now. Get used to it."

He shook his head at her again. "Why can't I just stay with -"

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped at him, "Do you have any idea how dangerous your Psynergy can be while you still can't control it? And your parents don't know the first thing about combat, they would just get in the way."

Menardi glared at him. He didn't think it would be wise to shake his head again, but he still felt the place couldn't possibly be his home.

He took a few steps inside, anyway. It was cold, the door was still ajar, letting the snow inside. He closed the door behind him and took off his shoes, leaving them next to Menardi's.

"Not so bad now, is it?" She said, giving him a smile. "There's a bed for you upstairs, in the furthest room. You're seeing Saturos at sunrise to begin your combat training, so go to bed."

Felix wasn't so sure he felt comfortable sleeping in the same house as someone like Menardi, but he was tired, it had been a long day. He decided to take her advice.

He headed up the narrow stairs and picked out the furthest room, the door was already ajar and the bed laid out for him. Before he could finally lie down and rest, the door next to him swung open, almost knocking Felix off of his feet.

Another Proxian girl stood there, rubbing her eyes, wearing what looked like a dark nightgown despite how cold it was, even inside the little house. She didn't notice him standing there in the dim light, and she turned to face the stairs where Menardi stood, who was still meticulously brushing the snow from her long blonde hair.

"Hey, sis…What's with all the commotion?"

A thought entered Felix's mind: Karst. Menardi's sister… It must be her.

Karst's voice was like Menardi's, but lighter, more high pitched. Menardi's was much darker and more mature, but this girl resembled her in a lot of ways… She had the same pink skin and scales on her shoulders, as well as the long pointed ears all Proxians seemed to have. Her hair was different, though. It was a deep shade of red and cut short, unlike Menardi's long, blonde locks. She looked about the same age as he was, but she could have even been a year or two younger.

Menardi began to make her way up the stairs, greeting her sister with a kiss on the forehead. She stopped and looked at Felix, and Karst looked up at her sister until she realized Menardi was focused on somebody else…

Menardi smiled and looked at them both. "I see you two haven't met."

Karst finally noticed the boy standing in the dim light of the hallway. She jumped and stared at him wide-eyed, completely baffled with the young boys sudden appearance in her home.

"Don't act so surprised, Karst. This is the boy I told you about, remember? The boy from Vale."

Karst didn't break her gaze. Her eyes were the same as her sisters; a dark crimson, like fire, or blood.

Felix stared back at her until Menardi quickly stepped between them.

"Felix, this is Karst, my little sister, remember? I suggest you two get acquainted."

Karst looked from Felix to her sister and back again, wide eyed and gaping at the both of them in disbelief.

"Sis, what's he doing here?"

"Didn't I tell you? He's staying with us while he develops his Psynergy. You two will be training together."

"Wh - What? You mean this _boy_ is staying _here_?"

"You heard me. Don't enjoy yourselves _too _much_, _okay?"

Menardi laughed, and Karst shot her an evil glance, and then gave the same look over to Felix. She turned away from both of them and stormed back into her room. The little door shut calmly, until she decided to kick it from the inside, almost taking the thing off of its hinges. Menardi laughed at her, and headed over to the door furthest from Felix. She waved at him and entered, leaving Felix all alone in the dark hallway, the only light coming from the fire downstairs and the moon outside.

He felt his way to his bed by the dim light, and fell down into the soft mattress. It was much nicer than the one in the other house, and the room even felt warmer, too. The moonlight shown in from a window above his bed, and bathed the room in a very dim light. It was comforting, and that sphere in the sky seemed so much bigger now. It had always been so small in vale, but here, it was huge and yellow, lighting the snow in the air and on the ground with its low, comforting light. Felix had always liked the moon, in fact, he preferred it to that massive golden flame that appeared in the day.

The sun was always just too bright, especially back in Vale.

* * *

D'aww. Ch 7 - In Progress.


	7. Rude Awakening

Cinders

Chapter Seven - Rude Awakening

Before sunrise, Felix was forced out of bed. Menardi hadn't taken manners into consideration when she burst through his door and threatened to set the bed on fire if he wasn't up and ready to leave before the sun came up. He obliged, but it certainly wasn't the "good morning" he was used to. Since he arrived in Prox, there had been nothing but rude awakenings and early mornings.

He grabbed his travel gear, the only other clothes he had now, and stripped his Proxian sweater and tough linen pants. He had slept fully clothed, it was far too cold to sleep without a layer of clothes, and as far as he knew, he was the only _male_ living in this house, so he didn't want to be caught "unprepared".

He quickly threw on his gear and picked up his small training sword, since he was sure he would need it.

Menardi was waiting by the door downstairs. She was wearing a sweater like his, and another long dress, but one that didn't seem so "decorated" as the one he had first seen her in. It was the first time he'd seen her wearing something that looked civil, and she really didn't look so intimidating without the battle gear, the headband, or the strange makeup.

"Time to go, I do hope you're prepared."

Menardi led him outside, and they began to trek through the snow, still deep as ever. A light rain had begun overnight, and was steadily growing heavier as the sunrise came closer. The rain was freezing cold, but the temperature must have risen that night if hadn't turned into snow. It was turning what used to be deep snow into a sea of ice and slush; it made the footing even more difficult, but Menardi still didn't seem to have a problem keeping her pace.

They arrived at a clearing just beyond the entrance to the village. Felix could just make out the flags that marked the entrance through the morning haze, whipping around in the wind and rain. Saturos was there alone, still wearing the same armor Felix had first seen him in. He signaled Menardi with a wave, and she pushed Felix forward towards him. He couldn't keep his balance in the slush, though, and he fell backwards into it. The melted snow and ice was freezing cold and wet, like he'd fallen into a tub of ice water.

Saturos and Menardi laughed, and he tried to pick himself up and brush the ice from his hair. He regained his footing and faced Saturos, who drew his blood red sword from it's sheath, and motioned him to do the same. Without a word, he complied, and prepared for the worst. Saturos flicked his sword at him and motioned him to attack, and he tried again to trudge forward through the snow. He walked until he was about two meters away from the man and held his sword high, ready to attack. Saturos smirked at him, and raised his sword as well.

The Proxian attacked first, swinging in a wide arc and bashing Felix in the arm with the flat side of his blade, knocking him back into the snow. Menardi laughed again, and Felix got to his feet, keeping his eye on Saturos, in case he tried to strike him again. Felix lunged at him, but he was slow, and Saturos easily deflected his attack, and followed up with a counter, striking Felix in the chest with his armored fist.

Again, he stumbled back into the slush. Menardi continued to cackle at him in the background, and Saturos continued to smirk at him.

"This is pathetic, boy, who taught you to fight? Your mother?"

Felix ignored him, and tried lunging at the Proxian again, only to be quickly parried yet again… At least this time he didn't fall over.

"He's hopeless, Menardi. Remind me why he's so important? I'm sure he'd like to just go home to his mommy."

What made Saturos think he could heckle him like this? "I thought this was training, but they're just here to abuse me…" Felix thought, but he tried his best to keep his cool. Felix never liked fighting, but he remembered what his father had always told him: "Keep your head, don't get distracted.". But it was getting difficult to keep his cool, with Menardi's constant laughter and Saturos' insults, he'd like nothing better than to shut both of them up.

"Maybe we should have taken his sister, I'm sure she could fight better than this."

He knew Saturos was trying to provoke him, but he had taken it too far. Now, the only concern in Felix's mind was to hurt him, maim him, or kill him; anything to shut him up. Whatever anger he had been trying to constrain, he would put behind every swing until he hit the bastard, no matter what.

"_Yaaah!" _Felix yelled and swung his little sword at the man again and again, with every intent to knock the smirk clean off of his face. Saturos blocked his attacks easily, one after the other, but didn't counter the blows. Felix could feel the adrenaline beginning to flow, and sped up his attack. He lunged again, and this time kept his footing in the deep slush. He arced his blade above his head, and brought it down as hard as he could. The tip of the sword collided with the front of Saturos' breastplate, and exploded into a flurry of orange and yellow sparks, filling the air around him with heat and light and pouring out over the snow. He could feel a rush of satisfaction as the Proxian's smile vanished from his face, and he brought his sword up to defend himself. Felix prepared another blow, certain that he could defeat Saturos this time. This time, though, Saturos blocked his attack, and twisted his blade around, disarming Felix's weapon. Felix quickly dropped to the ground, searching through the thick slush where the blade had fallen, but the battle was already over. Saturos stood over him and sheathed his sword, the cocky smirk now replaced with a much more stern expression. Menardi's laughter had also ceased, and she had come forward to rejoin the group, eyeing Felix with the same look as her partner.

Felix found his sword and stood to face the two. The rush of battle had dulled, but he still felt on edge, ready to be attacked again any second.

Saturos smiled at him. "Good work."

Menardi nodded and smiled as well. "Not bad at all."

Felix was surprised at the praise they were giving him, it didn't seem like them at all. Did a simple hit in combat really mean so much to them?

"That's enough for today, I think." said Saturos, "He seems capable enough."

"Indeed he does." said Menardi. "We'll see how he handles his Psynergy."

"Well done, Felix."

* * *

Felix was led back into the town by the pair. Saturos soon parted ways, and disappeared off into another direction, probably off to his own home, wherever that was. Felix almost expected to head back to the north end of the village, up the hill and across that old bridge, to the home where his parents would surely be waiting for him. He thought that, at least until Menardi led him further and further away from the north side, and back to her little home instead.

The fact that he would be staying with her still hadn't sunk in. He didn't see why he was expected to stay with her, or why they had taken him so soon. They had only just arrived in Prox, found a home, and yet he was taken away all over again.

Felix and Menardi arrived back at the small house, and she halted him just outside the door.

"Here we are. Your training with me begins at sunset, Felix. you have the day to yourself, but you are not to leave the town, nor are you to see your parents."

"I can't see my parents?"

"No, you are not to visit them again for a long time. They will only distract you from your training."

He wasn't allowed to even visit his parents? Menardi's logic seemed insane, why was he being kept away from them, the only people in Prox with whom he could even speak without worry, and the only family he had with him? And why was he taken away from them in the first place?

"But why can't I see them? Why can't I live with them? I don't understand this…"

"Because your training is more important than petty things like that. You don't know it, Felix, but you're more important than you think."

"But… Why now? Why so soon?"

"Soon? Don't be so naïve, brat. Didn't the elder tell you about the Void? You know very well that we can't be lying about while that _thing_ gets closer and closer."

He was important. That's what she had said, but he didn't quite believe it. He decided to let it be for the moment…

He suddenly realized something. Felix… Menardi had called him by his name, for the first time since he had known her. Neither her, nor Saturos had even called him by his name, they always called him "brat" or "boy", but now, at least Menardi had called him by his _name. _Did she respect him? Was it performing well in his training that gained him this respect? It didn't at all seem like a big deal to him, but to Menardi, It must have been.

* * *

Chapter 7 - Done. That was a really short one. ;3 Chapter 8 on the way. ;D


	8. A Lesson

Cinders

Chapter Eight - A Lesson

Felix was exhausted. By the time he had arrived back at Menardi's home, he was completely drained of any strength he had left after his match with Saturos. The rush of the fight had granted him strength he didn't even know he had, but now that that was entirely gone.

He could understand why some people became obsessed with fighting, and why people chose to fight their whole lives; it was that feeling of power.

The minute they came inside, Menardi took her time brushing every bit of ice from her hair. Felix wondered if she did this every time she went out. He had pretty long hair for a boy, but he didn't tend to it at all like she did. It seemed to tedious.  
Menardi raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the little fireplace. The tinder suddenly seemed to ignite itself, and the empty fireplace was instantly burning with life. Felix had seen this kind of Psynergy before, when his mother did the same thing back in Vale. He'd also seen his father lift the earth, the same type of Psynergy he was told he could tap. He couldn't do very much, though, the most he could lift were small rocks, and now that he was so close to the Void, it was even more difficult to tap his power. Even his parents had difficulty doing the simplest things. But Menardi… She didn't even need time to focus her power. She just made a gesture; _willed_ the fire to be and it was.

"You see that? That's what I'm going to teach you. You'll hone your mind until you can bend the elements to your will." Menardi gave him a little smile.

He couldn't really imagine himself doing _that._ Fighting with a sword, maybe, but using Psynergy so effortlessly? No, that was something he could never achieve, no matter how much of his life he spent training.

"Your training begins at dusk. I have business to attend to today, so you're on your own. Try not to get yourself killed, okay?"

Menardi gave him a little half-smile. Felix was surprised that he was being given time off… It didn't seem like her to do something like that. It was probably a one-time deal. He was tired, so the time was welcome, but he wasn't quite sure how he was expected to make use of his time… He knew nothing of Prox, and the foreboding climate didn't make the outdoors very enjoyable, and he was forbidden to see his parents as well. He wanted to see his parents again, but disobeying Menardi's orders wasn't something he wanted to try out. She wasn't so bad, but she wasn't so good, either. She would still probably burn him to a crisp if he disobeyed her.

"Hey, sis."

The other girl, Menardi's sister, was standing at the top of the narrow staircase. She was wearing the same gown that Felix had first seen her in the night before. It was a garment that any normal girl would freeze in overnight, but Proxians were resistant to the cold climate, or so Saturos had said.

The girl had a small frame, and the gown was large for her; it wasn't something Felix felt too comfortable seeing, and he couldn't help but wonder _why_ he'd been moved in with two Proxian _women, _sinceit just made him feel more and more uncomfortable. Felix wasn't the type of boy who liked to chase after women; _Garet_ would probably enjoy living with the two girls a lot more than he did, but Garet wasn't here, and neither was anyone else he knew. It kept occurring to him over and over that he was _alone_, or at least he felt that way. The company of a sadistic Proxian woman and her sister, who was probably just as bad, wasn't his idea of pleasant.

The younger girl, Karst, slowly stepped down the stairs and went over to her sister, who was still busy playing with her hair. Karst hadn't looked at Felix since she had appeared, and completely ignored his existence as she and Menardi went over by the fire and started to talk.

Felix was freezing, but he was hesitant on joining the two by the flames. Karst seemed irritated, but he couldn't place why. She was clearly ignoring him, but he had done nothing wrong…

Felix wasn't quite sure _where_ to go. There was nothing for him here, and no one he could speak with. In Vale, at least he had Jenna, and he had his friends too… The friends he might never see again.

Menardi turned around and glared at him, shaking her head. "Felix, if you keep standing around like that, you're going to freeze to death."

"Yeah… Okay." He said, and sighed. He took a few steps closer to the fireplace, and sat down on the floor on a bearskin rug just behind the two girls. He kept his distance from the two, and Menardi rolled her eyes. Karst still looked the other way, and to her sister in a whisper. If they were speaking of him, he didn't know; but it was doubtful. She probably just disliked him already.

Menardi stood, and gave her sister a friendly pat on the head, to her apparent displeasure considering the glare she returned it with. Menardi walked by Felix on the floor, and gave him the same annoying pat on the head.

"I have business to attend to with Saturos. You two try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

Karst rolled her eyes. "Business, huh? What kind of business?"

"None of _your_ business." Menardi replied, and then looked down at Felix again. "Felix, I'm leaving you off my watch, but don't think I won't know if you disobey my orders or try to run away."

He nodded. It's not like he planned on running away anyway.

"Such an obedient boy." Karst said, scowling. She still avoided looking at him.

Menardi left the two of them alone, off into the snow again. Karst turned her back to Felix, folded her arms and sighed. He felt he should say_ something_, since the girl seemed to be upset, but there wasn't too much he could say. Maybe if he just sat there silently she would say something, or just leave. Either one would have fine with him.

…

Felix was awkward with other people. That's what Jenna had always told him. If it wasn't for Jenna introducing him to them, Isaac and Garet would have probably never become his friends. But she wasn't here anymore. He was on his own now, for better or worse.

"…Karst?"

She didn't respond, but she shifted in her seat a bit. She seemed pretty intent on ignoring him as long as possible.

"Uh, did I do something?"

She turned around and finally looked at him.

"You're Felix, right?"

He nodded.

"So, what are you doing here?"

"Huh? I don't know…"

Karst glared at him. "What do you mean, you _don't_ _know_?"

He stared back at her, unsure what she had meant. She glared back, and sighed.

"You're not from here, right? You're from the south."

"Yeah, I'm from Vale."

"Never heard of it. How come you're here in Prox, then?"

"Uh, I don't really know… There was a storm, and… Saturos and Menardi made us come here with them. They said that they needed me for something, I dunno…"

"Hmph. They needed _you_? Why would my sister and Saturos need help from a scrawny little kid like _you_?"

"I don't know…"

Karst rolled her eyes again and laughed. "You don't know _anything_, do you?"

She turned her back to him again. Felix stood up, and took a step closer to her.

"Do you live here alone with your sister?"

"What kind of stupid question is that?" She said, without looking at him.

"Well… It's just that I've never seen your parents, that's all."

Karst didn't reply. If she did have parents, they weren't around. She must have, but maybe they just lived somewhere else…

"Karst, Uh…"

"Just shut up, okay? Why can't you just go back where you came from?"

Felix was surprised that she was acting so hostile; he hadn't done anything wrong, so why was she talking like that?

"Sorry… I wish I _could _go home, but I can't_… _I can't stand this place, it's too cold."

Karst whipped around and glared at him again.

"Oh, so it's not good enough for you, huh?"

"Uh, no, that's not what I…"

Karst looked away in disgust. It seemed like whatever he said, she only became more and more angry with him. Felix hated being awkward, and he knew he was. But it was better than being hated, even by somebody he'd never even met…

Karst sighed again, and turned around. "My mother died when I was very young. And my father… He disappeared when I was just a kid. Nobodies seen him since then… Menardi and I take care of ourselves."

"I'm sorry." Said Felix. She looked down at her feet, avoiding his sympathetic gaze.

"I don't want your sympathy. I don't even care if they're gone, anyway. I don't need them, I can take care of myself."

"I miss my parents… And I miss my sister, too. You really don't miss them?"

She met his eyes for a moment. It was a blank look, but at least it wasn't malice, for once.

"I'm not a child, Felix. They've been gone my whole life, and I've been fine by myself.

"But you're the same age as me! Of course you're a -"

"What do you know? I'm not a weak little child like you, Felix! And why are you even here anyway? Get lost already! _Go home_!"

Karst turned away from him again and stood. Felix stepped back, and she stormed past him and up the stairs into her room without a single glance back.

"Jenna was right, I suck at this."

* * *

It was late when Menardi finally came back; the sun had already gone down, and Felix had retired to his room for the day. Karst was nowhere to be seen. She was probably still in her room, or perhaps she'd left the house long ago and hadn't returned. Felix headed down to the living room with some warm clothes and his sword.

Menardi had felt it necessary to bring Saturos along, probably just to laugh at him while he struggled with his powers, but it didn't look like he would be there to participate, as he wasn't dressed in the usual armor he wore. Instead, he seemed to be dressed comfortably in a loose shirt and some workers pants, which seemed unusual to Felix; it was hard to see the man in anything but armor with bloody sword in tow.

"You wont be needing that." Said Menardi, looking down at his small sword. He left it on the table as they headed out into the night. The rain that had begun early that morning had stopped, but the ground was still frozen solid, made up almost completely of ice. They stopped a long way from the house; at least it seemed that way, but it was difficult to see beyond a few feet in the dark, foggy air.

Menardi glanced at Saturos, and he nodded and stepped back. She turned and faced into the dark, and raised both her arms into the air.

"Nova!"

A massive blast of heated air exploded out of the dark and illuminated the entire scene; a huge empty field of snow, just outside the village gates. Felix's skin prickled and burned as fire erupted out of nothingness and forced him to take a few steps back to avoid the heat. The light slowly began to fade, and he could see the blackened earth beneath the blast site, and the ice around it had completely vaporized. Menardi hadn't moved an inch, despite being the closest one to the explosion.

"Alright Felix, your turn."

"Err…" Felix took a step forward, and stared blankly at the woman, half expecting her to burst out laughing at him because he couldn't make the air explode.

"Collect yourself. Concentrate. You know how to call forth your power, don't you?"

"Uh, yes… I think…"

Felix closed his eyes, and tried to feel the earth beneath his feet, and nothing else. That's how his father had taught him when he was younger. He had taught him how to hear the world, and how to call forth the land's power to summon small cracks in the earth and lift tiny rocks. His connection was much weaker here, but his concentration proved effective this time. The power of Weyard flowed into his body, starting at his feet and flowing up through him. He tried to direct the trickle of Psynergy to his hands, and pointed his palm diagonally at the ground in front of him. The power flowed out of his center and slowly ran down his arm, into his fingertips. He visualized the ground breaking apart and thrusting up into the air, and concentrated all his energy into his palm, and released it all at once, breaking his connection with the land.

"Spire!"

He could feel the ground beneath him shake, and heard a crack as a small gash, about the length of his hand, appeared in the ground beneath him. There was no pillar of earth thrusting up out of the ground, but there had never been before, either. He had trouble lifting stones larger than his fist, let alone breaking the earth apart, but at the very least he wanted to show something impressive.

Menardi clapped her hands lightly at his work. "Hmph, not so bad."

Saturos stayed silent, arms crossed, obviously not impressed.

Menardi walked over to Felix and grabbed his arm, roughly lifting it to shoulder height and kicked the inside of his leg until he moved it out, widening his stance.

"There, much better. No wonder you can't do anything, your battle stance is all wrong. And you need to concentrate harder! I barely felt any Psynergy in your body during your attack."

"Uh… Should I do it again?"

"No, no. Not yet." She said, shaking her head at him. "You need to practice your stance. Don't move from that spot until I tell you."

Felix stood rooted to the ground for what seemed like hours. It was completely dark now, but he stayed in place, despite an increasing pain in his arms and legs. Menardi stood behind him, watching his legs and giving him a swift kick whenever he slipped in his stance. After a while, Saturos called out and began heading off his own way, much to Menardi's displeasure. She followed him off a ways, pelting him with a few names and insults along the way, and then returned and grabbed Felix by the end of his hair and pulled him off.

"Ow, ow ow ow!"

"You're done, brat. Time to go to bed."

"Okay, okay! Just let go!"

"You're coming back tomorrow, and you're going to fix your stance next time. It was an eyesore. Oh, and my sister starts her training tomorrow, so she will be joining us. Let's just hope you can keep up."

Menardi let him go, and he followed close behind her in the dark.

"Okay…" Said Felix, rubbing the side of his head.

He had to train with that girl, too? It was beginning to become apparent that one of those siblings may end up killing him, whether they mean to or not. It would have been so much easier if he had his own sister with him, but she was gone. The only comfort was that she may still be alive, if she was lucky, but it must be hard for her to. At least Felix had his mother and father close by; now that they were all gone, Jenna didn't have any family left…

* * *

There, Ch 8 is up! Sorry it took so long, been pretty busy lately. It's a long one though, so it's a long wait. Rate/Review Plox!


	9. Trials

Cinders

Chapter Nine - Trials

* * *

Most of the days in Prox would continue to begin, and end, in the same way. Once the dull light of the sun appeared above the mountains, it would slowly light up the little town, and that light would grow brighter and brighter as it reflected off the snow and ice. And every sunrise, Felix's training would continue.

Menardi was there to wake him even earlier than she was the day before. She came in without a word, and knocked a few times on the inside of the door. That was enough to wake him, and he quickly shot out of bed and got dressed. Menardi was again waiting downstairs to shepherd him out and to whatever place he was to train. It was clear that she was used to waking up at these hours, probably from her own training, however long ago that had been.

Her sister wasn't awake. She hadn't started her training yet, which seemed odd since she'd lived here all her life as far as he knew… And Menardi seemed like the type to train the girl from birth. Tonight was supposed to be her first session, and Felix's second. Maybe that was the reason she was so cold to him the day before; she wanted to start before him, or maybe she just wanted her sister all to herself.

Menardi led Felix out into the cold again, and led him out into the early morning haze. It was difficult to see far, but the ground had been covered in a fresh blanket of snow, covering up the ice and slush that had been there the day before when it rained. His clothes and boots were still soaking wet from his training with Saturos, and the constant snow covering the ground did little to help him dry out. Now that a few days in the snowy climate had passed, however, Felix was starting to gain more balance in the deep snow; If only there was a way to be light enough to walk _on top _of it, _that _would make things so much easier. But from what little he'd seen of the town, it looked like the village was shoveled out often, lest the houses be buried up to the windows every night, but having his training sessions on the outskirts of town, or just outside it, kept him away from the luxury of easy footing.

Saturos was waiting for him in a snowy field which was completely indistinguishable from the landscape around it. The haze was thick, and it was difficult to see from where they had come or where they were, but they must have been somewhere just outside the village, just like before with Menardi. Saturos was again clad in his armor and sword in hand. It had become a familiar sight, but still far from comforting. However, this time he wasn't alone.

There was a boy with him, another Proxian by the look of him. He looked to be about the same age as Felix, but he was bigger, and he had a very serious look on his face. It was probably his first day of training too, just like Menardi's little sister. He could have been related to Saturos too, but it seemed unlikely. His skin was green, much like the village leader Puelle's, and his hair was white, unlike Saturos's light blue color. The way he stood by Saturos though, made it seem like he held a great deal of respect for him, even if they weren't related by blood.

"It took you long enough, Menardi."

Saturos cocked his head at Menardi, and didn't acknowledge Felix, who followed closely behind her.

She pushed him over to the younger, green-skinned Proxian, and quickly left the three alone. She waved goodbye to Saturos, who returned her gesture with a brief nod, then turned his attention to the two boys. Felix looked at the other boy for a moment, who didn't seem to even notice him. Nobody seemed to notice him around Prox. He quickly returned his gaze back to Saturos, who crossed his arms and stared back at him.

Saturos drew his sword, but did not motion to attack Felix or the other boy. Instead, he thrust it deep into the snow between his feet.

"I hope both of you brought your training swords." He said, eyeing Felix in particular. Felix reached behind his back and drew the little sword from it's sheath, and the other boy did the same. They both looked up at Saturos, who eyed them both for a moment, and then spoke.

"Agatio, Felix; As of today, you are both training under me. You'll obey every command I give to either of you, understood?"

The other boy, Agatio, snapped to attention and nodded vigorously. Felix followed suit, albeit without the added enthusiasm of the other boy.

Saturos drew his sword from the ground, and Agatio immediately readied himself. Felix stared blankly at the two, and held his sword beside him as Saturos crossed his blade with Agatio's and corrected the boy's stance.

"Good work, Agatio, you have a natural form…" Saturos said to Agatio as he inspected his stance. "Oi, runt! Stop standing around!"

Felix jumped as Saturos lashed at Felix's feet. He quickly looked over at the other boy and mimicked his footing to Saturos's apparent dissatisfaction, who immediately scoffed at his stance and gave him a sharp kick in the ankle to correct his footing. Felix gritted his teeth and attempted to correct himself, widening his stance slightly and gripping his blade tighter in front of him, until Saturos seemed satisfied. Felix glanced at the other boy again, who hadn't once took his eyes off Saturos.

Saturos watched both of the boy's stances consistently as he led them through a series of movements with the sword; an aggressive attack against an invisible opponent. Saturos gave strict attention to each movement, stopping Felix mid-swing and correcting him over and over again. Agatio didn't seem to have any trouble maneuvering through each cut and keeping a perfect form and tempo.

"A strong offense is a warriors best defense!" yelled Saturos, "Do not break your attack, not even to aid an ally." He took a breath continued his chant, speaking over Felix and Agatio's panting as each swing seemed to make their swords heavier. "This is what makes us the Proxian elite. This is why we are the most powerful warrior class in the entire world!"

He repeated himself over and over again. "A strong offense is your best defense! Don't stop your attack for anything!" Felix listened to him until his words became a mantra, and the pattern of the attack became natural. _Right, swing, left, swing, lunge, thrust, push, disarm, kill. _Saturos's interventions became fewer and fewer until at last he seemed satisfied with their work and commanded them to stop.

"That's enough. I'll show you the next set tomorrow, you may go."

Agatio quickly sheathed his sword and stood before Saturos. He gave him a long, drawn out bow and quietly left without a word. Felix timidly mimicked Agatio's action and quickly stumbled off through the snow in the direction of his new "home". He didn't bother to look back to see where Saturos or the other boy had gone. His aching limbs were a much bigger concern as he trudged through what seemed like an ocean of snow.

After lugging his exhausted body through the snow for what seemed like forever, he could see the small cottage in which he now lived. It was still before midday, but he had nowhere else to go as he was forbidden to see his parents. It seemed strange that Saturos had cut his training so short.

"Just a few more steps…" He thought to himself, "and then I can rest."

"Almost there…" He said. He took his last, large steps through the snow, and felt ready to collapse as he reached forward to open the door._Bang! _Felix's head reeled as something struck him clean across his face, and sent him down into the fresh bed of snow on the doorstep. His vision spun around as he tried to get a fix on what had hit him, and he could see someone's legs sticking up out of the deep snow next to him.

"Go home, kid. You don't belong here."

He didn't recognize the deep voice, but he could see the footprints leading back behind the house.. Whoever he was, he had been waiting for him.

The stranger picked him up by the collar, and let him get a good look at his face. It was the same boy he had seen before, Agatio.

"Why would Saturos ever train a weakling like you?" He said, striking Felix again, this time in the gut, so hard that he could barely breath.

Agatio looked at him for a few more seconds in disgust, then let him go. "You're lucky Menardi's looking out for you, scum." He said as he walked back in the direction of town, leaving Felix in the snow, attempting to catch his breath.

He struggled back to his feet and forced the door open, and was greeted by a blast of warm air from the small house. The fireplace was lit again, and both Menardi and Karst were nowhere to be seen.

He wouldn't want it any other way.

Leaning up against the door, he tried to make sense of what had just happened.. But nothing made any sense to him. "Why would he attack me? I didn't do anything to him…" He said to himself. "And where are the others? Would they really leave a fire burning if they weren't home?"

Felix sighed and slid down the wall to sit. He didn't have the strength to crawl to his room, much less walk. He just tried to take in all the heat from the flames as he could, hoping they would give him the strength to force down any food he could find in the house. He was grateful for the warmth, since even though the Proxians could resist the cold, Felix still wasn't used to living like they did. He wondered what they would even need a fire for, but quickly put it out of his head as he worked up the strength to make himself a midday meal. He picked himself up and took some small herbs from the kitchen cabinet. They were bitter, but very rejuvenating. He would have preferred some meat, but there didn't seem to be any around the house. The only things he could find were the bitter, dried herbs.

It wasn't long before the sisters returned to their home. Menardi entered first and compulsively shook out her hair; the same way she always did whenever she came in from the snow. It made her straight hair rather messy, but she did it so much that she didn't seem to even notice the difference. Karst came in right behind her, head down and covered in wet snow. She quickly collapsed onto a chair, not even bothering to take off her shoes or even dry herself off.

"Gods, what happened to you?" Menardi asked loudly, looking over at Felix. At first he didn't understand what she meant, until he remembered what exactly had happened outside, moments earlier. He hadn't thought he may have actually been hurt.

"Clean yourself up, you look disgraceful. Saturos had better have a good reason for this."

She threw him a rag from the table and he wiped his face, finding a surprising amount of blood. He didn't say a word about Agatio.

"Once you're cleaned up, come with me. You've got to start your training."

"What? Already?" Felix said, astonished.

"Yes! Do you think you stay in this home for nothing?" Menardi replied. "I've left some objects outside to help you focus your Psynergy. I need a _strong_ boy such as yourself to move them for me." She smirked at him.

"You mean move them with Psynergy?" Said Felix, and he smiled for a moment. This was something his father had showed him when he was younger; the ability to move small rocks with his mind.

"Of course I do! That is an ability shared by both Mars and Venus Adepts. I'm sure you can manage… My sister still has much work to do with her weapon, so you're on your own."

Karst acknowledged this with an unenthusiastic groan, and refused to budge from her seat. That is, until Menardi tugged her off by one of her pointy, pink ears.

"You too, brat." Felix got to his feet as well, and followed the two back outside. There were two large scythes planted in the snow by the door, which Menardi and Karst both picked up and readied. He watched them for a moment, puzzled at how they held the weapons and twirled like dervishes through a series of attacks. Menardi's long hair and colorful dress whirled through the snow, creating an elegant, yet ferocious pattern as she seemed to cut the snowflakes clean out of the air…

He tore his eyes away from the girls, and moved himself out of sight. There was a line of large stones placed against the side of the house. He'd never used Psynergy to move something that large before, but he was confident. He had seen his father move boulders just like the ones set before him.

He once again focused his mind until he found a state in which he could tap into his power. Using his hand to direct the energy flowing from the ground into his feet and up his body, until he concentrated as hard as he could on forcing it out through his palm and moving the rock in front of him.

He moved each stone in turn away from the house. Menardi hadn't said _where_ to leave them only that he must move them with Psynergy, so he decided to keep going until told otherwise and kept pushing each individual stone as far as he could, trying to reach further and further each time. It wasn't often he got to test himself like this, and it made him feel stronger for each extra inch he could muster.

There was still much more training to do that night. He was already exhausted from his training with Saturos and his run in with Agatio. He'd moved every stone into a line of brush a long ways away from the house, and left them there to rest. Menardi and Karst had finished before he had, since they had both returned inside while he wasn't looking. Menardi probably would have left him at work all day and night if he hadn't returned. She didn't command him back outside though, so he must have finished.

"You can rest for now, brat. You and Karst are going to do something once it gets dark, and I don't want it anything less than perfect." Menardi said, and handed him a plate of fresh cooked meat. She must have gone hunting while he was working, too.

Karst looked even worse than she did before; and this time she wasn't just wet, but bruised as well. Now Felix felt almost lucky to be training under Saturos. She didn't look well, to say the least, but she was happy to have something to eat, as was Felix. What he assumed was Menardi's cooking was actually quite good, especially given the lack of material for preparing _any_ sort of meal. It smelled of spice, and was a very familiar smell as well. Something about it reminded him of his mother's cooking in Vale, and that made him feel comfortable, even if it was only for a few moments.

* * *

Okay, so I know I haven't uploaded anything in quite a few months. I've been very busy with college and work, so I've really been neglecting my fics this summer. I've actually been forced to write a lot of other things, since I'm being tutored by a friend (A published writer) and also taking courses in College. But I promise I'll finish Cinders no matter what! Let me know if my writing has improved even a little bit. It'd be nice to know. Although you probably won't see a huge improvement until this is all edited, which will be done once I finish the actual thing.

Ch. 10 will come soon, hopefully!


	10. Pleasure Principle

Cinders

Chapter Ten - Pleasure Principle.

* * *

The day was late. Menardi had taken both Felix and Karst out in the cold as soon as the sun had passed two thirds through the sky. She had them wait patiently outside while she prepared something for the two of them. It wasn't long before she was ready, and came out into the cold to join them. Felix's whole body was shaking, since although he had dressed warm, this night seemed to be particularly frigid. He kept as close to the warm house as he could, but Karst stood on her own. She didn't even shiver.

Felix couldn't help but puzzle at how strange these people were; Karst wore only a fur sweater and long pants, and it looked as though even that was unnecessary. He didn't look for long, though, as she happened to catch his eye. He looked away, a bit embarrassed. But before he thought to apologize, Menardi beckoned them both to her.

"Karst, Felix, this is where your _real_ training begins. This is how I was taught, and how my mother and father were as well. Since they are not here, I'll be teaching you both myself."

Felix nodded silently, as did Karst.

"Felix is a Venus adept, so this may be a tad… _Different_. But his training is essential to our survival. We'll have to make due." Menardi said to her. "I had planned to train you with Agatio as he was arranged to be your partner, but…"

Karst quickly looked away from them both. It was obvious the girl was still upset.

"Is that why she acts this way? Because of me?" Felix thought..

Menardi sighed. It seemed like this training wasn't going as she had planned.

"Hey brat, do you know why I travel with Saturos?" Menardi asked him.

"No… I don't know."

"We were chosen at birth. It's a tradition passed down from the ancients, that makes Proxian warriors the most powerful in the world. With the power of Alchemy, we were unstoppable. Each of us, each pair… Possessed such unimaginable strength that even the gods feared for their lives, and declared that Alchemy be sealed forever."

"You mean _you_ actually have this power?"

Menardi shook her head. "No. That power was lost with the seal of Alchemy, long before I was born."

Felix stared blankly at the woman, unsure of what to make of her.

"Proxian warriors are chosen at birth as pairs, and they begin their training at fourteen. From then on, they eat, sleep, live, and die together. They are ruthless in battle, and learn to synchronize their attacks to fell any opponent, even one that is far beyond their individual strengths." Menardi continued.

"However, the true strength of these individuals reveals itself only under stress, when the bond formed at birth ignites a passion matched by no other…"

Felix looked at himself, and to the girl beside him. Was she out of her mind?

"Of course, you are an exception, Felix. It's impossible for you to have such a bond without a proper birth-partner… But I will be training the two of you as though you were such."Felix breathed a sigh of relief. It was one thing to train with this person, but another to spend every moment with her, especially since she seemed to hate him without reason..

"That's enough of that, it's time to begin." Menardi said. "Basics." She came between the two younger Adepts and pulled them even closer together.

"I want you both to tap into your Psynergy."

Felix and Karst both responded by closing their eyes and attempting to feel their element's influence on their bodies. Felix drew his energy from the ground, and concentrated it inside himself as best he could.

"Now, I want you to sense each others energies. The powers of Mars and Venus should support each other."

Felix tried to sense some form of energy, but felt nothing. He gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut, searching for any presence outside of his own body, until he found it.

It was faint, but there was something different outside of his body; it too seemed to seep out of the ground, but not in the way Felix's Psynergy entered him through his feet. It was an _aura _of heat, completely surrounding what must have been Karst's body, radiating from her as she tapped her own powers.

"Ah, good, I can see you've found each other." said Menardi. "Now try to direct your Psynergy to her, Felix, and try not to overdo it."

Felix didn't answer, but understood what Menardi had meant. He focused on his energy, and halted the flow to his body. Instead, he directed it into the presence just beside him.

"Congratulations, you've just learned how to heal; and that was quite a powerful one too." Menardi said. "Now it's your turn, Karst."

Menardi had them heal each other back and forth several times, until they had both exhausted themselves. She stopped them once they were both short of breath, but still with enough energy to continue the training. Felix could tell that Karst wasn't happy with what they were doing. She couldn't even keep still anymore.

"Menardi, are we done with him yet? Can we go?" She whined, rolling her eyes at him.

"No."

"But he's just slowing me down! He's such a weakling! Even children are stronger than he is!"

Karst seemed to speak as if he wasn't even there, which was beginning to get on his nerves. But before he could bring out any retort, Menardi spoke for him.

"He's stronger than you may think. He'll show you."

Felix nodded and gritted his teeth again, determined to prove himself.

His whole life, he had been called weak. His sister had always been the dominant one, and his parents treated him like a child, even at his age. Isaac had always been stronger too, and had always had many more friends than he did. He was the weakling, but not anymore. He didn't want to feel like a child, even if he _was_ weak.

Reaching to Weyard again to draw his strength, he focused every ounce of it into his palm, determined to prove himself this time. When he released his energy, what he created surprised even him; a massive chunk of land erupted from the ground, creating a towering, rectangular piece of earth jutting out of the ground in front of him.

Menardi at least looked impressed, but Karst's face was far more satisfying. She was staring at the mountain in front of her, her eyes flicking back and forth between the boy she considered a weakling, and the raw power he had just created, wide eyed and mouth slightly open. Menardi kicked the mountain a few times to make sure it was solid, and gave Felix a little smile.

"Not bad at all. That's certainly more than my little sister could have ever done."

Felix smiled back. Karst's eyes seemed to now be set on him, and he returned the gaze, giving her a cocky smile. She looked away, her face a little redder than usual.

"Now I have something a bit more challenging for both of you. You'll have until dark, understand?" Menardi said. "I don't want to have to come save you both, so try not to mess it up. I need you both to use your Psynergy to kill an animal for tomorrow's dinner. I'll be able to tell if you've killed it without your Psynergy, so don't try and cheat." She was sending them out hunting; something Felix was used to back at home. His pride soared and he smiled, ready to take her challenge head on…

Menardi sent them out right away, towards the mountains to the west. She had told them the animals that roamed there only appeared at dusk so they made their pace quick as they marched out into the wilds. Felix led the way, and Karst followed closely behind him. He had immediately taken the lead; the newfound pride in him made it difficult to let Karst walk ahead of him, despite the fact that she probably knew they way better than he did. Dusk was fast approaching, and he knew the time they had was running short. However the mountains were not so far from the town, so they were easily within reach. He stopped for a moment to regain some of his strength, and Karst stopped beside him.

"I think we should stop for a while… I don't have much Psynergy left." Felix said.

"Fine by me…" Karst replied. She didn't seem tired at all, but perhaps the cold was finally taking its toll on him.

"Listen, Felix…" She said, "I… I'm sorry about what I said. About… Calling you _weak_."

"Oh… That's okay.."

"No, really! Not even Agatio can use his Psynergy like that!"

"Thanks, I guess."

Karst actually looked into his eyes with something other than detest, for the first time since they'd known each other.

"We should keep moving, it's starting to get dark." Felix said, and they kept moving towards the mountains. It wasn't long before they reached the base, and began the trek up the steep slope. Karst was mostly silent once they started, aside from some heavy breathing up the mountain. She'd probably never had to climb such a slope before. Vale, being a mountain town, was full of them.

The mountain was steep, but didn't require any vertical climb. It was relatively easy for Felix to reach about halfway up. There, the slope flattened out into a large plain where there were strong-smelling herbs growing out of the snow. The same herbs that grew in the mountains above Vale that his mother used to make spice. In the brush, he could see a few creatures grazing. They reminded him of deer, but they all had massive antlers that branched out from their heads.

"Perfect, we found something already." He whispered down to Karst, who was still a ways behind him when he'd reached the clearing.

"Well what are you waiting for? Kill it!" Karst whispered back.

"Uh… Okay."

Felix reached for his Psynergy again. It was becoming more and more difficult to tap his power. With the void even closer out on the mountain, it's effects were much more pronounced. He could still feel the ground giving him energy, but it was much weaker.

The creatures seemed to have noticed him, but didn't run. Felix focused all of his power into his hand, and aimed an attack on the nearest animal.

The ground underneath it split open, and a spear of earth erupted forth and impaled the helpless animal. Blood sprayed out of its wound and dyed the snow a deathly red. He couldn't help but feel guilty for the thing, but he'd hunted countless animals before, just never using Psynergy. He was surprised at how easy it actually was.

"Yes! I got it!" He cheered, and Karst cheered back. She was just a few steps below him now.

He reached out his hand to help her up, and she smiled at him. He took her hand and looked back at the animals above him. All of them, save the one he had killed, had fled. The scar in the ground was still there as well, but it seemed to have grown wider…

Suddenly, the ground seemed to disappear from under them. All he could hear were the deafening cracks of the earth as the rock beneath him gave way. Karst screamed and grabbed his arm, hanging on for dear life as they both tumbled down the slope in a raging river of snow and rock. They fell over and over, all they could see was the white of the snow and the gray of the sky, blending into each other as the two adepts tumbled head over heels down what seemed like and endless slope.

They came to a painful halt at the bottom of the mountain, Karst still gripping his arm for fear that she would fall to her death. Felix's head spun around and around while he tried to find which way was up. Thankfully they'd both been washed out of the snowdrift and onto stable ground. If they had been buried, they may have both died before they could have been found.

"K-Karst? You okay?"

She mumbled something incomprehensible and sat up, holding her head. Felix stood up as best he could and surveyed the land where they had stopped. Luckily, they'd landed near the place where they'd started, and even more luckily, their kill had been brought down by the drift as well; it's antlers poking out from the snow a few feet away. He decided not to tell Karst why exactly the ledge had collapsed, as she didn't seem to know it was his Psynergy that had caused it and almost ended both their lives.

He pulled the beast out from the snow and Karst helped him drag it out. Felix picked it up and carried it as they began the return to Prox. The creature was probably young, as it was still small enough for him to carry alone.

It was now just before nightfall, and the sun was setting beyond the mountains. The sunset that night was a brilliant shade or orange, bathing the white snow in it's splendor. Felix set down the kill and rested his cold and tired body before the final push forward to the town. Karst stopped too; she seemed just as tired as he was.

"Hey, what's that you're doing?" She asked.

"What?" answered Felix. "I'm n-not doing anything.. Just taking a break.."

"No, not that, stupid. You're shaking!"

Felix looked down at his hands, which were shivering violently in the cold. It hadn't really occurred to him yet, but being out in the snow for so long had begun to drain him.

"Why are you doing that?" Karst asked again.

"I'm just c-cold. That's all."

Karst stared at him blankly. "What? You mean your body's cold? Like the snow?"

"Y-yeah, you mean you've never been cold?"

"No… I know the snow is cold, and the ice, too. But _I've _never been cold!"

Karst reached out for Felix's hand, and tore off his glove. The cold immediately bit his skin, but then she placed her hand in his. It was warm, despite the freezing air around them.

"Your hands… They're so cold." She said, and moved her hand to his face. She touched him gently, her touch was so warm, almost _hot_, against his cold skin. He didn't shy away from her, like he would have done only a few hours earlier.

She quickly took her hand away after a moment, and gave a weak smile. "You're so strange, Felix."

"I could say the same thing about _you_."

She laughed. Prox was in sight, and it was just past dusk. Nightfall would be soon, and they'd return before then. Felix didn't feel nearly as cold as he did when they'd left, and a warm bed waited for him. For once, the cold north didn't feel so cold at all_._

_

* * *

_CH10 UP!

That's the conclusion of Part Two. Three to follow soon, rate/review plox!


	11. Unraveling Ambivalence

Cinders

Part Three

Chapter Eleven - A Cold Decision/Unraveling Ambivalence

* * *

"Felix…"

"Felix, get out of bed."

"Felix, this is serious. Something terrible has happened, get up!"

Felix rolled over in his bed to address the voice that had awakened him. It was his sister, Jenna. She stood by the side of his bed, eyes red and her blouse stained with tears. For a moment, he thought it may have been his doing, but she seemed upset about something far more serious.

"Felix, please…" Jenna said again.

"What is it, Jenna? What's wrong?" Felix said.

"Last night… Something terrible happened, Felix. Please come downstairs."

It was obvious Jenna wasn't going to spill it. He decided to just get out of bed and see for himself what was so terrible. Downstairs, Isaac, Garet, and even Ivan waited for him to appear. Jenna followed right behind him as well.

"Huh? What're you all doing here?" Felix said, surprised at all the familiar faces gathered in his home.

"Oh good, Felix is up. Now we just have to wait on the others…" said Ivan. Isaac nodded. He had always been the silent type.

"Would someone tell me what's going on?" Felix asked impatiently.

"It's not the right time to say it now, Felix. We should wait for the others." answered Garet. Even Garet looked serious, so it must have _really_ been a big deal.

"What others? What are you all talking about?"

Felix was answered by a knock at the door, which turned out to be both Mia and Sheba. They asked to come inside, and greeted Felix with a few friendly smiles.

It wasn't long before Piers showed up as well, which completed the entire party, save for Kraden. Piers greeted them all and stood next to Felix. He looked at him and shrugged; it seemed he didn't have a clue what had happened either. Jenna, Isaac and Garet seemed to be the only ones in on it.

"Okay, now will somebody explain what in the world is going on?" said Felix. Jenna shot him a rather dangerous look. "It's serious, Felix. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Everyone… I'm sorry to say that our mentor, Kraden… Has just succumbed to his sickness… Last night."

Jenna looked down at her feet after she spoke. She didn't have any other words to say. Felix was dumbstruck. He had known that the man had fallen ill soon after their journey ended, and he was quite old as well, but this was the last thing he had expected. Piers and Ivan looked surprised as well; they didn't know the man as well as the Valians did, but they'd traveled with him, as did everyone else. Sheba looked like she was on the verge of tears, and took Felix's arm for support, burying her face in his shoulder. She had been with both him and Kraden ever since she was taken by Saturos and Menardi…

No-one was more affected by the tragedy than Isaac, Garet and Jenna, though. The three adepts had been tutored by the old sage since they were kids. He'd taught them just about everything they knew about Psynergy, and been watching over them through thick and thin. Kraden was more like a grandfather to them than anything else. It'd be like losing a lifelong teacher and a friend. Just like Felix felt when he lost Saturos and Menardi.

The three hung their heads, and now Jenna openly wept. Felix felt their pain; Kraden was close to his heart as well. The old sage was a member of New Vale's elected elder council; a collective of the village elders that made important decisions for the village and were the only ones who spoke with the Wise One, other than the healers, who were members of the council as well. In that council, he was the only one that stuck with Felix to the end, and supported his acts despite how the others found them blasphemous. Perhaps it was Felix's sheepish nature, his lack of friends in Vale… Or maybe it was because he was with Saturos and Menardi almost from the start, or maybe the Wise One's hate of Prox alienated Felix as well. But no matter what the reason, the elders had condemned him, and the elder's word was law. Kraden always supported him though, and being such a strong influence among the other elders, prevented anything that may have been done to him. Felix owed him deeply for that, and learned to respect him greatly over the months of his journey. The news of his passing was very difficult to take in, for any of them. There was to be a traditional service that afternoon, according to Jenna, and the entire party chose to attend after hearing the news.

The service itself was rather short. The Sanctum healers proceeded into the center of town for a brief ceremony of the passing. There was no casket, as the burial had already been done overnight. All council members had these types of funerals to prevent those villagers who disagree with the person's motives from possibly tampering with the body. The healers uttered a few prayers, and then let the villagers talk amongst themselves. There wasn't a large attendance; Isaac and Garet's families, as well Felix's family and the rest of the party: Ivan, Mia, Sheba and Piers. Most of the other villagers weren't concerned with the man's passing, aside from a few passersby whom paid their respects. The party was silent. There was very little that could have been said at the time; they all shared the same feeling of loss.

The congregation slowly dispersed after the healers returned to the Sanctum. Sheba had attached herself to Felix ever since they'd heard the news, and was still clinging on pretty tight. She probably felt just as bad as Jenna did, but she refused to cry. She'd always been strong, ever since the day Felix first met her. The rest of the party along with their families returned to Felix's home to say their goodbyes. Felix and Sheba dawdled behind the group.

"Are you okay, Felix?" Sheba whispered to him. She still seemed upset.

"I… Don't know, Sheba.."

"I miss him too… But he was happy when he left us, right?" She smiled weakly.

"Yes, he was. But it's not just him… Now that he's gone, well… There's really nobody left in the council that doesn't think I'm a traitor."

"You're not a traitor Felix… You'd never betray your people. You're a good person, really!"

"Yes, but the council doesn't think so. I don't know what to do, Sheba."

She hugged him. "There's nothing you can do. I'm sure everything will be okay."

"It won't be long before I'm banished, I'm sure of it."

"You're always so pessimistic, Felix."

"They've already tried to banish me! Kraden was the only one who made them stop!"

Sheba frowned. "Well they've got you all wrong then. I should show them a piece of my mind."

"Hah. Jenna's already tried that, trust me."

"Won't anyone else stick up for you?"

"No… I barely know anyone else, anyway."

"I'm sorry, Felix… I wish there was something I could do."

Felix rubbed his temples in frustration. "What am I going to do now? Where am I going to go?"

Sheba didn't answer. Now that he had so few options, Felix knew he had to take it onto himself to decide. His family would surely miss him, but New Vale was no longer his home.

"You can borrow the Teleport Lapis, if you want."

"Oh, right." Felix cursed himself for forgetting how Sheba could read his thoughts.

"I don't want to say goodbye, Felix. I know where you plan to go… And I don't like it. But I know how you felt about that place. I understand."

"Thank you, Sheba, but I don't think I'm going to say goodbye. It doesn't feel right, especially not for Jenna… I don't need to take anything with me, especially not regrets."

She nodded. "I'll just tell them all you're going with me, then." She smiled at him again and reached into the small bag she carried around her waist, producing a small, glimmering stone and gently handing it to him. It was the Teleport Lapis that she had kept after the end of their journey together. He could feel some of it's energy trickle into him even the moment after he touched it.

"I'll see you again soon, Sheba… I promise."

_"I know you'll always keep a promise, Felix. Goodbye."_

He nodded and smiled at her for the last time, trying to avoid the painful look on her face. He focused his Psynergy to draw from the crystal in his hand, tapping its power for strength. Suddenly his body began to fall apart, piece by piece, until he seemed to be everywhere at once. Every piece of his being soared through the sky until it began to collect at a single point, far, far away from where he had been seconds before. He could already feel the familiar cold gripping him, chilling his body to its very core_…_

_

* * *

_Short chapter, but think of it more as an introduction to Part Three.

Keep reviewing please! CH12 on the way.


	12. Harbinger of Destiny

Cinders

Chapter Twelve - Harbinger of Destiny

* * *

"You're too slow, Felix!"

"Not fair, you know I can't run in this snow!"

"It's been four months! You should be used to it by now!"

"Not fair! You've been here your whole li- oof!" A nicely sized snowball smacked Felix clean in the face and sent him down into the snow.

"Hah! It's just _Proxian_ superiority!" Karst shouted over to him in-between bursts of laughter. She ran back to where he was and stood over him proudly, sticking out her tongue and laughing until he tossed a handful of snow in her face and laughed back.

She proceeded to take all the snow she could fit in her arms and pile it on top of him, but he stuck out a leg and tripped her up. She tumbled over on top of him, holding her hand on his face and pushing him down into the snow.

"Ppfh- Get off, Karst!" He sputtered, and rolled over on top of her, taking another handful of snow and throwing it into her hair. Karst pushed him off of her and hopped to her feet laughing, and sprinted off towards the house.

"Sorry Felix, it's _mine!_"

"No way!" Felix rolled over in the snow and took chase. By the time he reached the door she was already inside, waving her prize in front of his nose.

"There's no way I was going to let a slow southerner have _this_."

She smiled at him and took a big bite out of the cookie. Menardi stood there as well, right beside her sister. She'd promised a rare cookie to whoever finished the long list of chores she'd given them first… Felix had done most of the work.

"It's alright Felix, _maybe_ I'll share it with you." She said mockingly, although he was pretty sure she would do no such thing.

The Proxian girl had grown on him in the past few months. She'd started acting less and less strange after they had trained together for some time, which seemed only natural. She was still far from normal, though, at least by Valian standards. At least now, he could consider her a friend. Although she'd never used the word to describe _him_, yet..

"Satty! What are _you _doing here?" Karst squealed as the older man appeared from the stairway, seemingly out of nowhere since he had not been in the house when they had left.

"Nothing, just checking up on your dear sister." He replied playfully, earning him a rather sharp look from the woman in question.

"Ooh, Satty! It's **_so_** good to see you!"

Karst followed up her greeting with a rather overenthusiastic hug, nearly knocking the man off his feet. He gave Felix and Menardi a rather painful grimace, hiding his expression from the girl who was just about strangling him; Menardi couldn't help but burst out laughing and Felix scratched his head, confused.

Karst continued badgering away at Saturos about this and that, which made Felix wonder what exactly made the girl become so talkative all of the sudden. Normally, she wasn't so happy about _anything_. Menardi abandoned her partner to stand by Felix, allowing her sister to have her way with him.

"Have you been to see your parents lately, brat?" She said to him, trying to talk over a lot of background noise.

"No... Not for a while. I thought I was forbidden to go unless you or Saturos told me to."

"Oh, I suppose so. Well I don't think you'll be running off anywhere, will you."

"No... I'd rather not freeze to death, thanks."

Menardi smiled. "I would rather not have to come looking for you out there, either."

Felix nodded and started out the door. "Oh, and also..." Menardi added, "Bring my sister along, would you? ...Before she suffocates my partner. I don't think she's even met the rest of you southerners yet."

* * *

"It's just over the bridge, here." Felix said, leading the reluctant girl behind him.

"Okay, okay. Let's just go!" she said impatiently. They crossed the old bridge that led to the house on the hill just outside the village where Felix's parents stayed. It had been a long time since he'd seen them; only once was he allowed to visit since he had begun his training, and that was only for a few minutes. They didn't really have the same freedom that Felix did, and were almost always kept inside. They did have caretakers though, and were quite happy the last time he'd seen them. It was reassuring to know that the Proxians were indeed treating them as guests, rather than prisoners.

When he knocked at the door, Kyle answered. He seemed surprised to see Felix, and even more surprised that he'd brought a girl with him.

"Felix, come inside, it's cold out there. Who's this?"

"Menardi's sister, Karst." Felix answered. Karst didn't say a word.

"Come in, both of you. You're letting the heat out."

Kyle stepped aside and allowed them both to enter. The house was just the way he'd left it that night four months ago. His mother and father were seated inside, delighted to see their only son again after so long.

"Oh Felix, darling, it's so good to see you again!" his mother chimed, "Good to see you again, boy." his father added as well. The way their faces lit up made him so happy, and made him realize just how long it had been.

"Who's your friend, Felix?" his mother asked, standing up to greet her.

"Karst." She said.

"A pleasure." said Felix's father.

Felix's parents eyed each other for a moment and offered them seats, which Karst immediately declined. Felix decided to stand, too. He couldn't imagine she would be comfortable around all these strangers, and was having trouble figuring out why Menardi had sent her with him anyway... Unless she just wanted them out of the house.

Felix gave both of his parents a warm hug. He tried to savor it, since it would surely be a long time before he would be permitted to see them again. His parents were just as warm as ever, even in the freezing cold.

"I hope you're happy out there, son... They aren't pushing you too hard, right?" His father said; his mother nodded along with him.

"No, I'm doing okay. It's not so bad."

"And I'm glad you made a friend, too."

"Oh... Yeah, me too."

Karst didn't say anything. She just folded her arms and looked around the little house.

"I know you'll be just fine, Felix. You're strong." said his mother.

"That's right, son. Don't let the cold get to you."

"I wont."

He hugged them both again. He couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable his friend looked, out of the corner of his eye.

Karst was getting edgy, and if Felix was gone long he'd be punished, so they left soon after they arrived. It might have been a better reunion if he hadn't been forced to bring Karst along, but if she was caught anywhere else, both of them wouldn't have eaten for a week... Instead of immediately heading back to Menardi though, they decided to stop; or, Karst decided to.

She sat down in the snow, letting her legs hang over the ledge that looked over the frozen river that winded through the town. It was a beautiful sight. The water had probably been frozen for many, many years, and still ran through the town in the same way it did all those years ago.

Felix took a seat next to her. She was being silent, but he knew something was wrong. He just didn't know what to _do_ when a girl felt wrong.

"Karst?"

"Hrm. What do you want?"

"Er, nothing... Did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened, I'm perfectly fine."

"I didn't ask you if anything happened. What's going on?"

She looked away from him and didn't speak. She was silent for about a minute, but it was the longest minute he'd had ever had in his whole life... With nothing to do but watch her breathing, and the look in her eyes that was growing dimmer and more painful as that single moment went on.

"...I... don't know _why_ you thought it was a good idea to take me to your parents."

"It wasn't my idea, it was Menardi's."

"I mean, why would you even think something like that wouldn't be uncomfortable."

"I didn't think anything like that."

"You really should think things through. You can be really stupid sometimes, Felix."

"I told you, Menardi made me go!"

She was silent again, but this time she looked even worse. It was difficult just looking at her.

"...You're such a stupid bastard, you know that?"

"What? Karst, I didn't - "

"Just because you still have your parents doesn't mean you can just... Flaunt them in my face! Why would you even think I'd want to meet your worthless family? You're just a bunch of stupid Valians anyway!"

"Wh-what?"

"Don't play dumb! You know what I said. You know I don't have a mother, or a father... And yet you still choose to bring me along for your teary _reunion_? How do you think that makes me feel, Felix? My parents are both _dead_, or gone, or who knows what!"

"I'm sorry, Karst! I... forgot..."

"Oh, you just forgot! Okay, Felix. I _forgive_ you."

She turned away from him, but didn't move from her spot. He wasn't sure if he should leave, or stay, but he couldn't lose her here. Not now. Not so soon. If she was the only friend he was ever going to have in Prox, he couldn't let her hate him all of the sudden. He couldn't afford to lose her, even if she _did_ hate him.

"Karst... Please, I'm sorry! I don't understand..." He said to her back. He didn't want to get down and beg, but if that was what it would _take_...

"Hey, Felix..." She said calmly, her back still to him. "Do you think Saturos... _Likes_ me?"

"_What_?" Felix blinked in disbelief. She was just furious at him a moment ago, and now she was talking about Saturos? "What are you talking about, Karst?"

"I think he likes my sister more than me. Do you think that's true?"

"Uh, I don't know, Karst... Are you still mad?"

"I _really_ want him to like me... I _really _like him, you know?"

"Uh, I dunno..."

"You can't give _anything_ a straight answer, can you, Felix?"

"I don't know! He never talks about you. Will you just tell me why you're acting so weird?"

"Oh, that's just grand! I'm just so sure he's having his way with my sister, as we speak!" Karst shouted at him and stood up, to face him. Felix followed suit and shouted back.

"Why do you even care! What's he ever done to make you like him?"

"Like I'd ever tell someone like you! Over my dead body."

"Why not? I thought we were friends, Karst..."

"Don't make me laugh. You're my training partner and nothing else; like I'd ever be friends with a southerner like you."

Karst turned her back. She didn't say another word, and stormed off ahead of him towards the house. Felix followed, determined to find some way to quell her anger... However it seemed like she was a puzzle he was never going to solve. He followed her the rest of the way home, silent as a stone, unable to find any words of a suitable apology, until she slammed her bedroom door right in his face.

"What the hell has gotten into her, hm?" Menardi said from behind him. She'd been waiting for them to return, and Saturos had probably left rather recently as well.

"I... Don't know."

Menardi took his arm and dragged him off to his room, pushing him in and leaning up against the doorframe.

"You'd best make up with her, I'm not holding off on your training because of your teenage gripes."

"Well I tried! She wont listen to me!"

Menardi sighed. "Maybe I wasn't right to send her off with you. She's always been sensitive about mum and dad."

"What exactly... happened to them?" Felix asked.

"It's a long story. Karst never really knew either of them, but it's not easy for her to talk about. Our mother... She die giving birth to her. I've never told her how mum died, because I know she'll just blame herself. And father... He left us a long time ago. I would prefer not to say."

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have asked." Felix hung his head. Despite how strong they seemed, Menardi and Karst must have had an extremely difficult childhood... Much harder than his had been.

"You have every right to. You're living in this house now, so you should know these things... You and Karst have getting along so well, Felix. Don't abandon her."

"I... Would never abandon a friend, no matter what."

"That's very noble of you. Don't abandon Karst, please. You're the only person she's ever called a _friend_."

"She's never called me that... And what about Agatio? Her partner."

"Are you really so blind, Felix? Of course she's your friend, don't be a fool. Agatio has never shown interest in her other than as a companion in battle; partners are not always more than simple acquaintances."

"But what about you and Saturos? Aren't you more than acquaintances?"

"Of course; we've been friends since our childhood."

"But are you... More than that?"

"Are you concerned about my _love-life_, Felix?" She laughed at him. "Don't be foolish, of course not. It is forbidden for partners to be lovers. It would interfere in our battles."

"Oh... No, it's not like that, I just..." Felix scratched his head. "I don't know."

"Good. I'd prefer you focus on your training, brat, and it's getting near that hour. You'd best rest up and hope my sister has cooled down by the time I have you start."

"Okay."

Menardi left him there with a few final words as she shut the door behind her.

"This is your home now, Felix. Don't forget that."

* * *

Hardly an hour passed by before another girl allowed herself into his room. Karst stood there silently for a moment, and it took some time for Felix to even notice her there, since she'd come in without so much as a sound.

"Karst..? Is it time to go already?"

She shook her head. He wondered why she'd come in so early and unannounced, if not to tell him to get up.

"I came to... Well, you know." She mumbled.

"What?" said Felix. He didn't have a clue what she meant, but was relieved to see she didn't look angry, still...

"I don't know. Forget about it."

She turned around to leave, shutting the door behind her. Of all the things he could have done, he decided to let her go. After all, everything he said to her only seemed to make her angrier. Truly the last thing he wanted was for her to hate him, and despite everything, the budding friendship that he'd finally had seemed to be unraveling far too quickly for him to take hold of it.

"_It doesn't seem fair... If I'm allowed to have one friend, she should at least return my kindness."_

"_I wonder what makes her care for Saturos so much.. Or her sister.. She never acts this way with them."_

"_I wonder if she really does mean what she said about him.. And what makes him so much better than me?"_

"_Not that I could ever care for her in that way. Of course not, how absurd!"_

_

* * *

_Chapter 12, UP. The seeds have been planted, let's see how it grows. :D

A lot of dialogue in this one, I noticed. I guess it makes up for the last one?


	13. Paragon

Cinders

Chapter Thirteen - Paragon

* * *

A fierce storm had rolled in overnight, and was still raging on outside. The snow was packed up higher than Felix had ever seen; he could just make out the top of the snowbank in the bottom right corner of the window. He could have opened up his upstairs window and walked along the top, if he wished. It was quite early, though, since the Sun hadn't yet risen, and he hadn't been forced out of bed like he normally was. He'd got out of bed straight away and headed downstairs, expecting to have some time to himself, though that wasn't the case.

Menardi and Karst bickered a lot, as most sisters do, but being two hot-headed Proxian Adepts certainly didn't help them resolve their little sibling scuffles. While he made his way down to greet them he could hear them at it already, and it was clear that the day wouldn't be without more of their drama.

"You _can't_ be serious? You mean there's no way you can get us out?" Karst said.

"No, I told you already. There's nothing we can do until the storm lets up." Menardi replied, clearly annoyed at her sister's apparent stubbornness.

"Why can't you just... Melt us out? Using Psynergy..."

"Oh, I suppose you wouldn't _mind_ the whole house being flooded. Or worse, burned to the ground! With us still inside it, too!"

Felix descended the stairs and sat down on the warm stone where the fireplace was. Menardi and Karst both gave him a glance, and Karst turned her back on her sister and sat next to him, crossing her arms and pouting with all her might.

"You're not to go anywhere until this storm clears, got it? It's colder and fiercer than it's been in years." Menardi said. She seemed deeply concerned about the storm, with good reason. Now that he was downstairs he could see nothing of the storm outside, just a wall of white and gray. He could hear it, though. The icy rain pelted the roof so hard it seemed like it may give way at any moment, and the sudden crack of thunder gave him a jolt and made him a bit uneasy. It always reminded him of of that day on the river, in Vale.

"Why do you have to be like this every year? I want to go outside and see!" Karst said to her sister.

"Because you're going to get yourself killed, and probably drag Felix here down with you. I've never let you out before, and I'm not going to start now... As if you even _could _get out, anyway."

"Does this happen all the time?" Felix interjected.

Karst rolled her eyes at him. "Of course it does! It's Midwinter now, you dolt. Didn't you notice the sun hasn't even risen?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Solstice." Menardi added. "The day of perpetual night. So far north, the Sun doesn't even rise on this day. It seems the void grows much faster, as well. The way it consumes Psynergy must be affected by the Sun. We don't really understand why."

"So that's why it's like this? ...And what did you mean about the Sun?"

"Haven't you noticed? It must be nearly midday and there's still no Sun in the sky."

"_Midday? It's unthinkable I slept that long!" _Felix thought to himself, but they were right. The sky was black as pitch.

"Still as stupid as ever, eh Felix?" Karst teased, elbowing him rather hard in the ribs. He gently shoved her back, and they exchanged a few vexing glances before Menardi silenced the both of them. He and Karst always acted like this when they were together; it was simply Karst's way of being friends, strange though it was.

"Enough acting like children." said Menardi. "Both of you are to stay inside until the storm passes, which should be sometime tonight."

Karst didn't seem happy about it. Felix however welcomed a day inside the warm house, with no being pummeled by Saturos and Agatio, or singed by Menardi and Karst.

Menardi took her leave and left the two alone. She went off to the bathroom, muttering something about a bath.

"Good, she's gone." Karst whispered to him. "Now hurry up and get dressed!"

"What? I thought we were staying inside!" He whispered back.

"Don't be stupid, of course not! I can't stand being cooped up in here all day. I don't care if you stay or go, just help me get out of here!"

Felix knew better than to object, but gave her a stern look nonetheless. Then went upstairs to get dressed as she'd said. He threw on a couple layers to prepare himself for the cold, and headed back down to meet his friend.

She'd already gotten up and opened the door to the freezing cold, revealing a wall of snow and ice that covered the entire frame.

"Come on, help me get rid of this." She said, beckoning him to her.

"How am I supposed to help?" He asked. "I can't do anything to that."

"I dunno, just stand and watch then, if you're that useless."

Felix crossed his arms and glared at her, standing over her sholder. It looked like she was trying to draw her Psynergy and melt her way out, though he didn't think that would do her any good. There was so much snow that even if she melted her way out, it would be impossible to make her way through the snow.

"Karst, I don't know about this. What if we get lost out there?"

"Hah! I think I know my way around my own village. Are you coming or not?"

"Fine..."

It looked like there was no stopping her; and there rarely was when she was so intent on something. She contined to gather her Psynergy, forcing as much of her strength as she could into her palms as she layed her hands against the snow.

She continued to press her energy into it. Felix could sense the Psynergy becoming more and more heated and violent as she focused even harder, determined to blast her way out. Something seemed amiss though; her Psynergy had never been this powerful, nor plentiful before. It almost seemed as though she had no control over it...

"Karst - Stop!" He grabbed her arm to pull her away from the door, but she swung herself around as he grabbed her, and placed her hands on his chest to push him away. The heat unleashed itself into him immidiately in a blast of fire and superheated air. He could feel his flesh and clothes burn away to nothing in an instant, and see Karst's horrified face as he fell to the floor. His world went black before his body met the ground.

* * *

Felix awoke to a nearly pitch-black room. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light; he saw his bedroom, and felt his bed beneath him. But he also felt a burning, agonizing pain in his chest, one so intense that he'd never felt before. He couldn't for the life of him remember what'd caused it, only that there was fire, and a _lot_ of it.

"Karst, I think he's finally come to." He could hear Menardi's voice now, as well as another...

"Felix!" Karst sprung on him the moment Menardi spoke her name. Hugging him with all her might.

"Aaaaaagh!" He screamed as his chest seemed to explode all over again when she pressed herself into it. His vision blurred and spun in his head as the girl flung herself off of him, spouting a thousand apologies while Menardi let out a little laugh under her breath.

"Glad to see you're alive, brat. My sister thought she'd done you in."

"Wh- what happened?" Felix asked them both, finding it hard to catch his breath.

Menardi looked to her sister, who turned away. Her breathing seemed heavy and labored, the same way Jenna's did when she'd been crying; he'd never seen Karst act the way his sister did though, and there was no way that she could be so upset...

When Karst didn't answer, Menardi spoke. "You were burned. Quite seriously I might add; you're lucky I was able to heal what I could. You wouldn't have survived without it. Unfortunately I couldn't save your clothes, and you'll have quite a scar once your wounds fully heal."

"Heal...? Couldn't you just heal me now?"

"There's only so much my Psynergy can do. Until the healer can see you, there's nothing more we can do but tend to your wounds."

"Th- thanks." Felix said, accompanied by a dash of pain from his chest.

"Don't thank me, Karst has been tending your wounds since you blacked out." Menardi replied, smiling at her sister. She hunched over a little more in her seat, avoiding their gaze.

"Stay here, Karst. I'll go back to preparing the herbs for his burns."

"Alright... Okay." She replied, and Menardi left the two of them alone. Karst sat beside him, blushing, just a little bit. Felix tried to roll on his side and thank her, but another jolt of pain shot through his chest, preventing him from doing anything.

"Ugh!" Felix groaned and clutched his chest, which made the pain even worse.

"Hey, don't do that!" Karst yelled at him, grabbing his wrists. "Are you that stupid? You're burned! Don't touch it!"

He looked at himself. His whole chest was covered in cloth to conceal his wounds, which stretched up from his stomach all the way to his shoulders and neck. Despite the pain of his wounds, he couldn't quite recall the moments just before he blacked out, or how Karst had burned him so badly..

"Here... Let me get you something for your wounds."

She turned and picked up something from the desk behind her. It was a small bowl of water, from which she took a piece of rag cloth and placed it by his bedside while she unwrapped his bandages. His wounds weren't so severe, in fact, they were nearly unnoticeable. He assumed he had Menardi's healing to thank, though the jagged mark along his chest would probably remain long after his wounds had fully healed.

"Don't move." She said, and placed the cold cloth over his burnt chest. It was soothing, cold water, which seemed to be mixed with a few ground nuts and herbs from the smell. She gently pressed the cloth into his wounds, and looked at him so _compassionately_, which was the only word Felix could use to describe it. _Compassionate_ was the last word he would use to describe the girl, before then. Just by the way she touched him now, she didn't feel so alien anymore. Seeing her there beside him didn't feel so strange, in fact, it felt even stranger, as if she wasn't even there at all.

"_Maybe I hit my head when I blacked out._" He thought.

"...Were you here _all day_, Karst?" He asked her as she wrapped up the cloth and placed it in its bowl to soak up the healing water. She tried to cover up her slightly redder face, but was doing a terrible job at it.

"I... Was just.. Doing what I had to. Everybody around here knows how to treat this kind of thing... You're just lucky you're with us."

She crossed her arms and gave him the same conceited look she always did. But he didn't mind this time. He could see right through her.

"Thanks, Karst. I don't know what to say.."

"Well, next time... Be more careful. I could have killed you, you know."

"I know you wouldn't.." He smiled at her, and she smiled back; her long, pointed ears drooping down just a little, and the few flecks of snow on her long eyelashes seemed to accentuate a dark-red color glistening in her eyes.

He'd never seen Karst as beautiful. Never before, and though he'd never thought he could, now there was no other word he could use to describe the small Proxian girl who sat by his side. Now Felix couldn't help but notice he was turning a bit red as well, and the air between them seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. He could think of nothing he wanted more than to close that distance, but as that thought crossed his mind his wounds flared again with a jolt of pain through his chest, forcing him away.

Karst took the cloth to his wounds once again, pressing her small hands into his chest and squeezing out every drop of water from the little cloth. This time the fluid stung his burns, but was quickly followed by an ice-cold, soothing sensation as the medicine did its work. That heat in the air seemed to fade a ways, as Karst stood and returned the bowl and cloth to its place on the small shelf behind her. Menardi arrived shortly thereafter, bringing with her a handful of herbs which she gave to Karst to further tend to his wounds. The fact that either of them had done so much for him was more than baffling, even if Karst did think of him as a close friend, or even more than that. It seemed beyond her nature to care for another.

The two Proxians eventually left Felix to his rest, and it wasn't long before he found himself in a sound sleep. That night, if one could call it that, the snow had been cleared by the townsfolk and Menardi and Karst were able to dig themselves out, and inform the healers of Felix's injury, which was quickly tended to.

He eagerly got himself out of bed once the healers had done their work, and was quite surprised to see the extent of the burns across his body, as well as the large, blackened mark across the wall where he'd passed out. He was also a bit surprised to learn that a great deal of his clothes had been burned away along with a bit of his hair and eyebrows, which _someone_ had taken the liberty of drawing back on in dark red makeup.

* * *

Thar we go! That's chapter thirteen, and it looks like Felix is doing alright. We'll all just have to wait and see what happens next!

Also for all those interested, I've begun work on another Fic in the meantime. It's not currently up, but expect something neat in the near future.


	14. Resonance

Cinders

Chapter Fourteen - Resonance

* * *

Though only a few days had passed since his injuries had been healed, the prospect of rest meant very little. Felix was forced up at dawn just like any other day, and quickly dressed in his warmest clothing and headed down to take his leave for the empty snow-fields of Prox, and begin his training once again. Karst was there as well, and she was just as happy to see Saturos show up at her doorstep as she always was, though it wasn't often he took the time to escort Felix all the way from the house to the fields.

She was on him like a cat on a post, but the man never paid her any mind. Felix tried to ignore it too, but it was only recently getting to him. His thoughts of her had been evermore difficult for him to understand; his everyday concerns for her seemed to be growing stronger by the minute, and his mind seemed to stray to places he wouldn't dare speak about, and his eyes often followed. He tried to put it out of his mind for the time being, as Saturos would surely catch him off-guard if he let himself be distracted. He followed Saturos outside with Karst tailing a few feet behind, and Agatio waiting for them as well. Saturos may have said something about having her tag along with them that day before they'd left, but Felix wasn't paying him much attention.

"It's been nearly half a year since you've begun your training under me, boy." Saturos said to him.

"It's time for Agatio to begin working with his partner. It's been too long already, keeping them apart for the sake of your training."

Felix stared at him, confused. "What? What about me?"

Saturos shook his head. "Don't think your part in this is over. You'll continue working with Menardi and myself until we work you to the ground. But you are no longer to be given special treatment over Agatio and Karst, here."

"_I never thought I had special treatment..._" Felix said under his breath.

"I'll be working with these two for the time being. I supposed for now, you can sit back and watch."

Saturos said, and gestured Agatio and Karst to follow him. It didn't seem like him to leave Felix without work, but he took a seat anyway. There wasn't too much to watch. Saturos was talking to Karst and Agatio about something, and sticking them closer together. They had to be so close that they'd touch, something to do with synchronizing their movement and breathing, from what he could hear Saturos talking about. It was making his stomach churn already, just by the sight of it. He could see the way she smiled at Saturos when he touched her, and how smug Agatio looked by her side.

"_I'm thinking about this too hard._" He thought to himself. _"What does this mean to me anyway? Nothing at all, right?"_

Karst put her hand in Agatio's. He could see them staring at each other as they proceeded through a series of steps, matching their breathing exactly, like they were meant to be perfectly in sync.

_"She's not betraying me, she's just doing this because she has to, right?" _Felix thought. His mind was jumping back and forth over the scene, like a water beetle on the surface of a lake. It wasn't too much for his eyes to see, but his body didn't seem to want to keep up. "_She doesn't even have the same feelings I do... She doesn't know..."_

If he could look away, he would have done so long ago. But his eyes seemed fixed in place. Whatever was going through his head seemed to affect his entire body, from head to toe, until he felt like falling over backwards. All the time he'd spent with Karst before seemed to be a pointless triviality now that he wanted more than what he'd had. If he could just know why he felt the way he did, he might find it easier to understand his own emotions. Maybe it was just the way she acted or spoke, or how she seemed so fiery and self-assured but also warm and comforting that made him want to have her.

Karst and Agatio kept on going. They proceeded through what looked almost like a dance, watched over closely by Saturos. Karst kept her eyes on him while he directed them, only looking back to Agatio to be sure she was matching his movements perfectly, which she was. They went through the routine several times, until Saturos called Felix over to join them again. He certainly hoped that what he had to sit through would become a routine, but it seemed like it was already decided. Felix rejoined the three and gave his attention again to Saturos who addressed him as he arrived.

"Ready yourself, it's time to spar."

Felix nodded and drew his sword. Saturos had him spar with Agatio and himself regularly now, but it was rare that he ever lasted longer than a few seconds; though he had been improving greatly in the past few weeks. He'd even manage to beat Agatio once or twice, but he was still decades behind Saturos in his skill with the sword.

Karst sat, planting her scythe into the snow and resting her head on the curved blade. Her eyes were on him now, though her gaze was more pressuring than comforting this time around. He tore his eyes away and faced him opponent. Agatio started off the attack, and was far too fast for Felix to counter. He fell back and let himself be disarmed. Karst giggled, and he picked himself up, embarrassed at being beaten so quickly. He struggled through attack after attack and looked for any sort of opening in Agatio's stance. The Proxian swung his sword a bit too heavily to the right, and Felix capitalized on his mistake with a quick swing to his unprotected side, bashing him with the dull blade hard enough to draw blood. Agatio doubled over in pain and dropped his sword, giving Felix the win. He smirked and picked it up again, ready for another go.

Felix had all but forgotten about Agatio's cruelty from the first day they'd met. Since the day he'd first bested him with the sword, Agatio hadn't so much as laid a finger on Felix outside of their training. It wasn't friendship, far from it, but all the people of Prox seemed to share some aura of respect for all those who were strong or strong-willed.

"That's one win each." Saturos said. "Agatio, you're with me. Felix, you're up against the _girl_."

Karst scoffed at his little comment, to his amusement, and everyone switched partners. Karst had finally taken her eyes off of Saturos, too, which was more than a relief for Felix.

"Hey Felix, I'm not going easy on you, you know! Just because your soft doesn't mean I'll show mercy!"

He smiled, and readied himself. He knew she wouldn't show him any mercy, but he wouldn't hurt her if he didn't have to. It wasn't like he was _used_ to fighting girls; though they obviously did things differently in Prox.

Karst opened in the same manner as Agatio; fast and straight on. She was a bit slower though, and Felix was able to step back, but still wasn't out of reach of Karst's scythe, which he was barely able to parry in time. The blade had wrapped around his back, though, and she lowered it down to his ankles and tried to sweep him off his feet. He fell backwards and caught himself before Karst could meet her boot to his head, and swept his sword at her legs. She blocked with the end of the Snathe, and swung her weapon down to counter him. He struggled away from the blow and got back to his feet.

He was really starting to sweat now, but he wasn't going to lose. If the Proxians respected strength, Karst would never take someone weaker than her; he had to win here, if he wanted a chance. He was up against a weapon he'd never faced, however. From what little he'd seen of Karst's training, she used the scythe the same way one wielded a stave, but the deadliest part of her attack came from her inward pull. He'd have to stay out of her reach if he wanted to find an opening.

She didn't intend to give him any time to think, though, as she charged him head-on yet again, planting her scythe in the snow and using it as a counterbalance as she extended a powerful kick that struck Felix clean in the chest, winding him. She took up her weapon again and continued her attack, which he was forced to dive to the ground to avoid. Felix took a breath and aimed a kick at her feet, which connected, and she yelped and fell to her knees. He scrambled back to his feet and swung his sword at her again, and she raised her scythe and blocked, but the blow was too strong and it knocked her weapon to the ground.

He was winded and sore, but Felix was the clear winner. Karst gave Felix a little smile and rubbed her ankle, and Felix offered her a hand, which she took and got back to her feet, grabbing her scythe as she got up.

"Alright, you win!" She said, and whipped her hand away. "I admit defeat. You got me."

"I got lucky." He said back. He was pretty sure he was right, too.

"Eh, I think that's enough for today." Saturos said. He and Agatio had already finished it seemed, and Agatio's cheek sported a rather nasty bruise as a souvenir.

"Wasn't I great, Satty?" Karst beamed at him again. "You'd better have been watching!"

Saturos sighed. "I really wish you'd not call me that while I'm _teaching you. _Or at _all_, even."

"I'll call you whatever I _want_, Sat, Satty, Satty-cake!"

Saturos rubbed his temples, and Agatio simply burst out laughing.

"I'm going. I don't care where you all run off to, just be home by the afternoon." Said Saturos, and he took his leave. Agatio followed suit, and Karst ran off to Saturos to give him her usual lengthy goodbye before beckoning to Felix to come with them, and he sheathed his sword and did so.

They left for home together, and Agatio left them for his home inside of town. Saturos accompanied them all the way back. Menardi left with him on an errand of some sort once they arrived at her home, with only a quick goodbye as they came through the door and she and Saturos walked off.

"Where do you think they're off to in such a hurry?" Karst asked him.

"I don't have a clue."

"Well, don't you want to find out?" She said, slyly. "I mean, you_ are _their special student after all. Don't you want to know what's going on?"

Felix stared at the girl, puzzled. "Going on what?"

Karst smirked. "Oh come on, you _can't_ be this dense. They're probably planning something for you right now!"

"What does it have to do with _me_? I didn't do anything..."

"Gods, I don't know. Don't ask me, ask _them_." She gestured out the door from which Saturos and Menardi had just left. "Haven't you ever wondered why they're training you in the first place?"

"I don't know... I thought they needed help with the Lighthouses... Or something."

"Oh please, why would they need _you_? There's got to be something special they have planned."

Karst beckoned him to come with her and pursue Saturos and Menardi, but her words were giving him some doubt. He wasn't quite sure what to believe, or why Karst was so intent on following them, but he decided to tag along. He figured that if she had some ulterior motive, she wouldn't need him to come with her at all.

The two took after the older pair, following their deep tracks embedded in the snow. The weather was calm that day, or at least as gray and gloomy as it had ever been, and so the tracks were still fresh for their whole distance. Since Karst led the way and kept a quick pace with Felix close behind, it wasn't long before they'd caught sight of Saturos on the horizon. He could just make out the old wooden bridge near where Saturos stood, and the cottage where his mother and father stayed. A shiver ran through Felix's core as he saw the direction the man was headed. _"Could they really be hiding something from me?" _He thought to himself._ "Are my parents involved as well?"_

He felt a bit of relief though as Saturos turned away from the bridge in front of him, and instead made his way underneath it, along the frozen icy river that ran through the whole town. Wherever he was headed, Menardi must have already been there as she was nowhere to be seen, but Karst followed the blue man eagerly as he disappeared into the haze. Felix followed her as quickly as he could, but she'd given up on keeping him close to her. She'd already disappeared into the thick haze. The thick snow had turned to ice under Felix's feet as he stepped onto the frozen river. He continued forward onto the lake, past the boat still sitting atop the frozen water, and between the pillars of ice and snow until he came to a small cave on the opposite side of the lake, one he'd seen from the cliff but never once visited.

Karst was peering into it from the edge of the narrow entrance. Felix approached her, but she didn't look away or even notice he was there. There was something under her feet as well; what looked like a rag or cloth that she kept looking down at as well. As he approached through the mist, Karst stepped back toward him. What was under her feet was part of her sister's dress; it was strewn across the floor as if she hadn't given it half a thought. He thought he could hear voices as well, echoing through the dimly lit cavern; though they weren't really words he heard, per say, just the muffled sounds of the couple he knew were inside, in secret, and the just thought of it made the blood rush to his face, without him even seeing what was going on. It was clear why the two had been going off together over and over again. He turned away immediately, overriding any voyeuristic curiosity with the thought of what might happen if he were caught, which he knew wouldn't end well, and looked for Karst in the haze as he staggered away.

Karst was already gone. She'd left quietly before he'd even noticed, leaving him behind as well, and he quickly sped off in the direction he believed was their home, despite the thick mist that obstructed his view.

Felix arrived at his home to see the door still wide open, a pile of fresh snow collecting just inside, blown in by the wind. Karst was by the now extinguished fire, standing away from the door. She didn't acknowledge him when he came inside, or even glance in his direction. He knew why she was upset, it seemed obvious, and thought there might be something he could say to her, some way he could be there for her, but couldn't quite find the way to do so. He stood behind her, placing a comforting hand on her cold, scaly shoulder, but she shrugged him off. He thought the only thing he could do was apologize.

"I'm sorry-" He began to say, but she stopped him.

"Don't start apologizing, Felix. All you've ever done is apologize."

She looked at him, and it was clear that she'd been crying. She'd always been good at hiding her tears, so much so that it was near impossible to tell, but he knew her well enough to know when she hid them.

"I can't bear to see you this way anymore." He said. "It wasn't meant to be."

"I... Know." She said, though it wasn't the answer he had expected.

"Everything's just... Going to be just fine." He said to her, calmly. She looked like she was beginning to calm down.

"Nothing you can say will change this, Felix. Why are you here?"

"I'm sorry, I-"

"_Shut up!_ Why do you apologize to me?"

Karst aimed a fist at him, but he caught her wrist, saving himself from a nasty bruise. She struggled, but he didn't let her go.

"Why are you angry at _me_? I haven't done anything!"

"Exactly!" She shouted. "You haven't done anything. And yet you keep going on about _apologizing_!"

"I'm sorry, but I only wanted to help."

"_Again_! Shut up already! You talk too much!" She yelled, now downright screaming her words at him one by one, and aiming a few kicks and punches too.

"_Weakling!" "Softy!" "Stupid!" "Worthless!_"

He took a few kicks to the knees and shins, but didn't let go of her arm. Her kicks stung, too, with the hard leather boots she liked to wear so much. And she wasn't wasn't holding back, either.

_"Arrogant!" "Idiot!" "Stupid!" "Ass!"_

She tried to hit him again with her other fist, but he caught that wrist as well, and held on tight. She kept on kicking him again and again, in between every vulgarity and insult she spat at him. She bit his wrists and drew blood, which ran down his arms and stained his shirt, along with Karst's spit and tears that mixed with it as she bit him.

_"Just!" "Shut!" "Up!" "And!" "Die!"_

She stopped, and hung her head, helpless. Felix didn't loosen his grip, but gritted his teeth at the pain that was just now setting in. It felt like she'd really could have killed him, if she'd gone on.

"Just shut up... Felix..." She said, choking on her breath as she tried to get the words out.

He shook his head. "No. I won't, Karst."

"Shut... Up... Please. Let me go."

"No!"

She looked up at him. It was so unlike her to look this way; her eyes swollen and red, her makeup running down her cheek... It seemed unreal. She was quiet for a what seemed like hours, though in reality it was merely a few seconds. Then she came an inch closer, and stepped hard on the end of his toes. He winced; and she kissed him.

Her whole body worked its way around him, as her wrists dropped from his hands and she wrapped her hands around his back, pressed her voluptuous body into his chest and forced her lips over his again and again. Her body, inside and out, was filled with heat; more than he'd ever imagined. He pulled her in deeper, and he explored every inch of her mouth as she wrapped her tongue around his and took him into her more and more; but only to break away from the kiss but a moment later. They'd only been together a few seconds, an all too fleeting moment of warmth that was swept over by the chilling cold.

She stepped off of his foot and quickly backed away, but didn't break her gaze, or even blush. Then she smiled and waved her now-free hands at him mockingly as she turned away.

"You're so easy to manipulate, Felix. Is _that _all it takes to shut you up?"

She took a few steps up the stairs and turned again.

"...And if you ever tell anyone I did that, I'll roast you alive."

He smiled and nodded, and she took a few more steps before turning back to him one last time.

"...This... Never happened, Felix. Just forget about it, okay?" She said, and smiled again.

"Okay..." He replied, and Karst turned away again and disappeared up the stairs. He was still more or less in shock, and more or less about to collapse from the beating he'd taken, but Menardi would probably arrive at any moment. He cleaned his wounds, and quickly healed himself with his Psynergy to remove any trace of what had happened between Karst and himself...

But no matter what, he knew he would never forget; and neither would she.

* * *

You will never see the little Cave in Prox the same way again.

Apologies to anyone following _Cinders_ that had to wait however many weeks it's been since I uploaded a chapter. My only real excuse is... Dark Dawn came out, and I just had to get in on that! But it turns out this is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you enjoyed it!

Chapter 15 should be on the way soon. Thanks you for being so patient, my fellow Duskies, GS Lovers and Anonymous fic-readers alike.


	15. Heartless

Cinders

Chapter Fifteen - Heartless

* * *

It was cold. Though Prox had become somewhat of a paradise compared to its former self over the last year, it still maintained its bitter, unforgiving chill.

Felix clutched the Teleport Lapis tight in his left hand, and covered his face from the icy wind with his right. His body stung from the sudden drop in heat. Traversing nearly half of Weyard in mere seconds was not without some discomfort. He'd appeared just outside of Prox, knee deep in fresh snow. He wasn't far from the village, and he could easily see the warm wooden homes now that the thick mist and dark sky had lifted from the little town.

As he trudged through the still-deep snow, he took in every sight, smell and sound of the place that he had missed so dearly. The mountain air and scent of pine, and the sound of the breeze and utter silence of the snow. Even the way the wind blew the white powder around him seemed so serene, just the way he remembered it. Although even still, it seemed empty; and without Karst and Menardi, Saturos, his parents, or even Agatio, that emptiness could never be filled.

He proceeded into the quaint little town, which was bustling and busy with people, both old faces and even some new, foreign ones, undoubtedly a result of Prox reopening trade with Kalt Island and part of the Western sea. The traders and merchants bartered with the locals in the center of town, trading a great deal of bread and spirits, and other delicacies that had been denied the Proxians for the many years they had been chained away from the world. A few faces turned to see Felix arrive, and it was not long before the people of Prox greeted their hero with open arms.

"Felix! So good to see you!"

"Felix has returned to us!"

"Felix! How good of you to visit us!"

He smiled modestly back at the familiar faces that greeted him. They were not people he had known. His life in Prox had been so full of work and study that he had rarely been social in the village, but by word of mouth his presence had quickly become known soon after he first arrived nearly five years ago. And by word of mouth, his adventures across Weyard had also been spun into tales of heroism; and though he did not feel himself worthy of their praise, it gave him a sense of pride, and belonging, among the people of Prox.

"_This is where I belong."_ He thought. _"Though... This is not my home, nor where I was born. Yet this place is all I could call home now..."_

He strode at a slow pace. He had no direction, though he ended up at the door of the Inn, and entered to an unexpected burst of warmth and happiness that surrounded each of the crowded tables inside. Food and drink and song surrounded him; so much merriment that simply did not exist in Felix's solemn memory of the town. A man at the bar waved at him, whom he recognized as the owner of the Inn.

"Aye, Felix! It's Felix!"

A few other men looked to him and waved, accompanied by a few giggling Proxian girls who rushed to greet him. A pair of them took him by the arm and sat him down, and the Innkeeper slid him a tall glass of ale.

He was berated with questions about his adventures, and praised again and again by the people around him. He kept his stories short and sweet, but he spoke calmly to all those around him. He spoke of his time with Saturos and Menardi, his journey across Weyard, and the many battles he had fought. He avoided the subject of Karst and Agatio, though their fates were often mentioned among the Proxians' barrage of questions. The two girls continued to flirt about with him, passing him more and more ale in hopes to relieve him of his senses, but he was wise enough to their plans to keep from losing himself.

"_Though to be honest, I wouldn't mind a little respite." _He thought. However, he knew better than to do so. There was something he had to do while he was there, and though there would be no consequence to spend the night with the girls, It did not feel right to him. Not for the reasons of his coming to Prox...

After entertaining the crowd for nearly an hour, Felix excused himself from the Inn. The Innkeeper waved him off, and the two girls ran back to their table to gossip to their friends about their encounter with the Hero of Prox. He decided it would be best to speak with the Elder and Puelle and let them know of his coming, and so he set off to the town hall to greet them.

"Felix!" Puelle greeted him with open arms. The elder was nowhere to be seen.

"Good to see you again, Puelle." He said.

"What brings you back to us, my friend?" Puelle said, in his familiar calming demeanor.

"I don't quite know myself," said Felix, "but I could not find any peace in Vale, not even with my family so close to me."

Puelle nodded. "And so you've returned to your home away from home?"

"I wish I could say that, although my home is no longer here."

The Proxian shook his head and sighed. "You are correct. Those you shared your time with in Prox are no longer with us... It is a shame."

"Is there some way I could pay my respects, Chieftain?"

Puelle shook his head again. "I would tell you, but I'm afraid I cannot."

Felix felt a twinge of irritation at the man's answer. _"How could I not pay my respects? Is he out of his mind?"_ He thought. "What do you mean, Chieftain?"

"Please, do not address me as such, Felix. I have no status over you, my friend. But I cannot tell you because there is nothing to tell... The bodies of our four warriors were never recovered... And we cannot have a proper ceremony, nor proper graves, without any bodies to burn and send off to the void."

"You found no bodies? That can't be true..."

"Unfortunately not, and it was not without effort. Although searching Venus Lighthouse for Saturos and Menardi is nearly impossible, we have dispatched soldiers to look for Agatio and Karst... But they found nothing. Given, it took quite a time to clear the path to Mars Lighthouse after the earthquake, but they should not have disappeared entirely, but alas, they have."

Felix sighed. He hated to think what might have become of Karst in Mars Lighthouse after the Beacon was lit, but if her body was never found, he feared the worst. He thanked Puelle for his time, and quickly left the hall and sent off back to the Inn, where he acquired a room and a hot meal, as well as another pint of ale, in hopes that he could fill the hole in his heart that had grown ever wider due to Puelle's doleful news...

* * *

The day had finally come. The day that when he had first come to the snowy village in the north, he had hoped for every night until he fell into sleep.

Menardi had told him early that morning that his training was complete, and that his time in Prox had finally come to an end. They were to leave after nightfall and sail to Imil, then head south back to Vale and Sol Sanctum. His parents were to remain in Prox until all four Lighthouses were lit; and then they would be allowed to leave with Felix upon his return, should he survive the journey.

It was midday, and he had already gathered up all his things. He had visited the market and had his sword sharpened and his armor polished, as well as bought what little healing herbs he could with the money Menardi had given him. When he returned home, he packed them away with the rest of his things, and sat down by the fire to rest. He didn't want to go around the village saying goodbyes. He was never very good at saying goodbyes.

Karst wasn't very good at it either, or so it seemed. She'd begged Menardi to take her as well, until they were nearly at each other's throats, but Menardi denied her. She'd sat beside Felix and pouted, claiming that "If _you_ can go save Prox, so can _I_", and that made Felix smile. He would have liked nothing less than to take her with him across the world, and back again.

He knew he would miss Prox, but surely there was no one he would miss more than her. Although he had shared so little with her other than a kiss; a kiss that had gone unspoken of for many months, but still graced Felix's dreams and thoughts, night after night. He often wished that he had been more outgoing towards her, or had tried more often to court her, but he found it too difficult to do so. The way Karst was, and the way _he_ was, in both body and mind, made it seem entirely impossible for him to be intimate with her, despite how he craved it over all else. A Proxian and a Valian could never be together, or so he told himself so often, when he needed to hear it to stay his nerves.

As the final hours passed, he spent the majority of them with her. Albeit his time with her consisted mainly of her steaming at him for being so "lucky" as to be the one to go with Menardi and Saturos. But after a time she dropped it, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Do you think you'll ever come back here, Felix?" She said softly to him.

"Of course I will." He said. "The last Lighthouse is here, remember?"

She frowned and looked at him. "Of course I remember. I mean after that."

"I'll come back." He said to her again.

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder again. Her soft, pointed ear prickling his neck.

"And Saturos and Menardi will come back too, right?"

"Yeah, they will." He chuckled, "I'll make sure to protect them, alright?"

"Mhm."

She sighed and scooted closer to him, and he allowed her to rest on his side as she started to slip into a light sleep. In truth, there was no place he would rather have been at the time, except perhaps sweeping the girl off her feet, and twirling her around him in the deep snow outside.

She yawned. It wasn't long before she was completely asleep, and night had fallen over them. Menardi had already taken his things as well as hers to the ship and met Saturos, and said she would return for him shortly. He was surprised she gave him that time, though perhaps it was more for her sister than it was for him. He watched Karst's small body rise and fall with her breath by the firelight, and ran his hand down her scaly shoulder. He wondered what she might dream of, or if Proxians dreamed differently than he did. He wondered what might have happened if she had been Valian too, or if that would have made any difference at all, and he wondered what would become of her while he would be gone from the little frozen town.

He heard Menardi knock at the door. Karst stirred in her sleep, and he gently kissed her on the top of her head, and laid her against the cushion on which he had been sitting. She stirred again, but did not wake, and he kept his eyes fixed on her as he gathered his things in the dim light and went to the door. It opened with a low creak, and the hum of the wind, and he slipped outside into the snow.

Menardi awaited him on her ship, with Saturos in tow. Felix swiftly boarded, and Menardi took the wheel and set them off southward. As they passed between the towers of ice that filled the sea outside Prox, he took himself belowdecks, and decided it was time to rest. He quickly found his room, the same room he had used on his journey three years ago, and laid down to rest in his small bed. He did not undress due to the cold, and he left the fireplace unlit, as the seas were too rough for a fire at the time, and Menardi would surely scold him, if he didn't burn the ship down first.

His mind returned to Karst, his friend, whom he had left sleeping in her home when he had left. She wouldn't wake for many hours, but he wondered what she may think. The day he returned to Prox, she would be the first thing he sought out. He would return with Saturos and Menardi, and he would finally see Jenna again, and maybe even bring her with him as well. And he would finally have his family together again... And he would have_ Karst_, too. He hoped that she would not resent him for deserting her without saying goodbye, even though it had pained him to leave her without speaking to her one last time, but he wasn't very good at goodbyes, after all...

* * *

That's 15! I know it's a little different with the break in the middle, but making them two separate chapters would make it way too short for my tastes. 16 is coming up soon, so stay tuned.

Also, My thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Reviews are appreciated! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	16. Reunion

Cinders

Chapter Sixteen - Reunion

* * *

It had been four days since Felix had left Prox with Saturos and Menardi. They had spent some time in Imil, a small village in the north of Angara, and yet another strange man had joined their group. His name was Alex, and though he was a Mercury Adept and not scaly and discolored like his other companions, Felix was wary of him; he was a cunning man, and through cunning one could be led into deceit.

Alex had accompanied them out of Imil. Their stay in the town was very brief, and Felix had been confined to the Inn, just as he was the last time they had visited the town. Saturos must have had some kind of connection with Alex before they had left on their journey, for when he arrived they seemed to be on friendly terms. However, it was clear that, like Felix, neither Saturos nor Menardi trusted Alex completely.

After leaving Imil, they followed the same path they had taken three years ago, when Felix had been rescued and taken against his will. They traveled day and night, and soon reached Vale and Sol Sanctum. They stopped in Vault for the last night before they would enter the Sanctum, and Menardi had crafted him a mask, to hide his identity as a traitor.

"Nobody will know you're going against the will of your elders." She said, handing him the mask.

He nodded, and tried it on. It fit well, though the design was very strange, and Proxian in nature. It made him feel like an outsider.

_"But if Jenna knew I was betraying Vale... She would never forgive me..."_ He thought to himself, and moved to tuck the mask away in his pack, but Menardi snatched his wrist.

"Don't put that thing away! We want you wearing it at least until we've reached the first Lighthouse."

"Why?" He asked.

"Don't question me, just do it." She said, and let him go. He took the mask out, and put it back over his face.

"I'm _not_ going to sleep in this thing." He said, adjusting the uncomfortable straps on the back of the mask.

"Oh yes you are! You'll do as I say, no matter how much you might disagree with it." She glared at him for a moment, and then let up and helped him adjust the mask until it felt comfortable.

"Don't complain, you look good."

Felix laughed. He spent the rest of the night alone, tucked away in his room at the Inn. Then, early the next morning, they left for his old hometown.

Before entering Vale, Alex confronted him. He held a constant air of arrogance about him, and it got on Felix's nerves. But he knew better than to argue with a powerful Adept.

"Do you resent betraying your people?" Asked the man.

"Well... Yes, and no..." Felix replied. "I know I'm doing the right thing."

Alex laughed. "You seem to be confused, boy. There is no right and wrong. There is only a means to and end."

Felix shook his head. "What do you mean?"

"There is more to this journey than restoration or redemption. Know this, before you embark on this ship of fools."

"Saturos and Menardi _aren't_ fools." He said, and Alex smiled and walked away. Felix had a powerful urge to follow the man and punch him in the gut, and vowed that he would, once they were done with their journey. He would have done it sooner, but Alex had disappeared shortly after he'd spoken to him.

As they arrived in Vale, he noticed the town was just as quaint as it ever was. Everyone seemed to be getting by just fine without him, though he had to resist the urge many times to wave to some familiar faces, all of whom payed no attention to his masked visage. The strange trio gained quite a few weird looks, until Saturos and Menardi sent Felix off to stay at the Inn while they "took care of some business" with Kraden, whatever that meant. He checked in with some gold Menardi had given him, and went straight to his room without a word, as Saturos and advised him against speaking too often lest he give his away his identity. Much to his surprise though, he ran into Isaac, Garet, and _his sister_, who for whatever reason had visited his room at the Inn; perhaps to see the mysterious traveler who had come to see the village. Though in the past, it was common for pilgrims to visit the Sanctum, it seemed that after the cataclysm that nearly destroyed the village, the elders had forbidden entrance to the Sanctum entirely.

Isaac entered the room, followed by Garet and Jenna, who appeared not to recognize him under his mask. He silently thanked Menardi for her foresight.

"Yes... Boy?" Felix said to Isaac, mimicking the way Saturos usually addressed him.

Isaac stared at him for a moment, but didn't say a word. It unnerved Felix a bit.

_"Have they caught on to me already?" _He thought, and turned away to hide his face, should they have seen it.

"Do you have business with me?"

Isaac shook his head. Jenna was still eyeing him though, and he had to get rid of them quickly.

"Then you'd best stop wasting my time. Begone."

Isaac frowned, and turned away. Jenna and Garet left, and Isaac followed. Felix breathed a sigh of relief, and adjusted his mask again. _"I think I pulled off Saturos nicely."_ He thought, and laughed out loud.

Saturos and Menardi returned to the Inn shortly afterward, and said it was time to go. They quickly exited the Inn and snuck past the Healer than guarded the entrance, and ascended the steep mountain path to the Sanctum. They entered into a huge room filled with statues, and Felix followed Saturos and Menardi through the winding dungeon. They cut through the myriad of creatures that guarded the rooms with ease; He never even had to draw his sword.

Saturos and Menardi stopped for a short time to rest, and Felix confronted them.

"Uh... So..."

Saturos scoffed. "Out with it, boy. What is it?"

"Well..." He said. "Should we run into anyone... My sister... Jenna.." He straightened his posture, and quickly said: "Should we run into Jenna while we're in Vale, or in the Sanctum, don't hurt her!"

Saturos raised an eyebrow. "Why? Do you expect her to be here? The old fool was speaking of entering the Sanctum, but there's no way he'd have reached the Stars by now. Either way, we'll take them before he leaves this place alive."

"No... I mean... I just don't hurt her."

Saturos laughed. "That sounds like an order, boy. But we have an agreement. If we see this _Jenna_, she will not be harmed."

Felix nodded, and they moved on. They soon entered a strange room with a symbol of Luna etched on the floor, and a vibrant beam of light emitting from the symbol and connecting with the wall. Felix pointed, but they ignored him and headed through the room into another room marked with the symbol of Sol.

"Strange..." Said Saturos. "The symbols have been reversed since the last time. As I recall, this room used to be marked with Luna."

Menardi nodded, and they headed down a hall and up a long staircase into another room, again marked with the symbol of Sol, and four statues.

"This is the trap that caused that storm..." Menardi said. "But..."

"It's been disarmed!" Said Saturos, drawing his sword as he spoke. "Damn it! Someone beat us here!"

"Could it have been Alex?"

"No... That fool couldn't have known where to find this room... It must have been that old geezer!"

Menardi swore, and readied her scythe. They bolted back down the staircase, leaving Felix behind. He ran after them, and barely caught them as they reentered the Luna room.

"Where do we go from here?" Menardi asked Saturos. He shrugged.

"What about that?" Felix said, and pointed at the beam of light. "It's touching the wall over there."

Saturos looked at Felix, and then to the wall where the light connected with the tiles.

"Damn it, Felix! Why didn't you mention this before?" He scowled, and stepped over to the wall, where the light seemed to expand and create some kind of door, which he and Menardi stepped through, and Felix followed.

"This is the place! The Stars must be here!" Said Menardi.

"Yes, but it appears someone's already done the job for us." Saturos said, and grabbed a figure by the neck. It was Jenna, and Kraden was with her as well. She screamed, and Kraden struck at Saturos with his cane, but he caught it with his other hand and twisted, disarming the old man and brining him to his knees.

"What do you want with us?" Jenna yelled, and Saturos laughed.

"Give us the Elemental Stars, if you value your lives!"

Kraden hesitated, and then spoke. "We... Don't have them! Isaac and Garet... They... They're getting the stars."

"Oh?" Replied Saturos. "Then we'll let them. Don't speak a word, or you die. Understood?"

"But what do you want with the Sta-"

Saturos raised his hand to strike Kraden, but someone let out a yell from across the chasm, close to one of the Statues that must have held the Stars. It was Isaac and Garet.

"Looks like they've spotted us." Said Saturos.

Menardi sighed. "I thought we'd be safe until they'd got all the Elemental Stars."

"You- you mean to _steal_ the Elemental Stars!" Voiced Kraden, with a great amount of distaste in his voiced, that was very unbecoming of him as Felix remembered.

"Master Kraden..." Saturos sneered. "Are you calling us thieves?"

"As I recall..." Said Menardi, as she smiled menacingly at the old man as well, "Aren't _you_ the one who stole _our_ information?"

Kraden looked around, embarrassed. "Uh, Well-"

"What will you do with us once you've got the Elemental Stars?" Said Jenna, and Saturos released Kraden to take a few menacing steps closer to Felix's sister...

"I'm sure they'll do us in once they no longer need us..." Kraden sighed, rather morbidly. Felix winced; he was sure Saturos and Menardi would do no such thing, but his sister was definitely terrified.

"Relax." He said, and stepped out of the shadows. "You will not be hurt." He turned to Saturos. "That was our agreement, was it not?"

"That all depends on how well they... _Cooperate_." Saturos said.

"...Huh?" Felix said, glaring at Saturos through his mask.

"They'll be safe..." Menardi said to him. "As _long_ as they hand over the Elemental Stars... Isn't that enough?"

Felix glared at Menardi too. "...Fine."

"You heard us!" Yelled Saturos, as he turned to face Isaac and Garet. "If you wish to save your friends... Then give us the Elemental Stars!"

Isaac and Garet looked at each other, and then to the Mythril Bag that held what Felix assumed were the Elemental Stars. They were silent for a moment.

"Do you accept our terms?" Said Menardi.

"Okay." Said Isaac.

"No, Isaac!" Yelled Kraden, as Saturos stepped over and tried to subdue him. He spoke over Saturos's attempts to cover his mouth with his hand. "You mustn't give them the Elemental Stars!"

"Why would you deny us?" Said Saturos, letting Kraden go. "Don't you want your _friends_ to be safe?"

Kraden gathered himself and stood before Saturos. "What _guarantee_ do we have, once we've given you the Elemental Stars?"

"Guarantee... Ah, I have one." Said Menardi, as she turned to Felix and looked at him, slyly. "You'll have to remove your mask."

Felix looked at her, and then adjusted his mask, nervously. "But... That means..."

"Ahh, of course." Said Saturos. "A fine idea. _He_ will be our guarantee." He pointed to Felix, and smiled. "Under the circumstances, we have little choice. _Felix!_ Remove your mask!"

Felix choked on his breath. Saturos had spoken his name aloud. He and Menardi must have expected him to reveal himself, but if he did, then Jenna would surely recognize him...

"_What?_" Yelled Jenna, and who he thought was Garet, simultaneously. Jenna looked at him in disbelief, surely trying to convince herself that this was some other Felix, and not her long lost brother...

"What's wrong, Felix?" Menardi said, "Don't you want them to feel _safe_?"

"Felix... Wasn't that the name of your brother?" Kraden quietly said to Jenna.

"But that accident... My brother, he-"

"I'll do it." Felix interrupted. Jenna gasped, and stared at him. "I'll take off my mask." He held his breath, and undid the knot that held his mask in place, and slowly removed it from his face, and dropped it to the floor. Jenna's eyes widened and welled up with tears, as she tried to grasp the sight of the brother she'd once thought dead, standing there before her...

"It's not... Possible.." She choked.

"Is he...?" Kraden asked, putting his hand on Jenna's shoulder.

"Uh huh..." She said, still staring at Felix.

"I know I've caused you much grief, Jenna... It was a miracle I survived that day..." He said, trying to comfort her.

"_We_ are the ones who _saved_ him." Saturos interjected.

"We saw him floating unconscious in the river, as we passed." Said Menardi, gesturing to him.

"...I've been with them ever since." Said Felix. "I've experienced... A _lot_.."

"But why?" Cried Jenna. "Why would you leave me all _alone_!" She was crying openly, and he stepped toward her to try and hug her, but Saturos Menardi grabbed his arm, and he stopped. "Jenna..."

"My own brother... I thought you were dead!"

Saturos scowled. "Save this teary reunion for later."

"That's right." Said Menardi, letting go of Felix. "The Elemental Stars come first."

"Is this acceptable?" Said Saturos, facing Isaac and Garet again. "Felix would never allow us to harm you... _Or_ his _sister._"

"Felix will be our guarantee." Menardi continued. "Now, _give us the Elemental Stars!_"

Isaac nodded, and hopped across the tall columns to hand over the Stars. He was about halfway there, when the familiar Mercury Adept, Alex, materialized out of thin air and stopped him.

"Will you permit me to relieve you of those Elemental Stars?" Said Alex.

"Oh, Alex... You're late." Grunted Saturos. "Alex is another one of our companions. Hand the stones to him."

Isaac handed over the Elemental Stars, and Alex frowned. "I'm afraid I must apologize in advance... For you will be bringing us the remaining Elemental Star, as well."

He took the three Stars, and began to teleport away.

"Wait a second!" Yelled Garet. "You want us to grab the other one for you too?"

Alex smiled. "Oh, did you not understand me?"

Garet raised his small sword at Alex, threateningly. "You said you'd set Jenna free once we gave you the Elemental Stars! You promised!"

Saturos laughed. "No, my friend. We want you to bring us _all _the Elemental Stars!"

Garet turned his back and looked at Isaac, shaking his head. Menardi folded her arms and looked annoyed. "Stop grumbling and bring us the last Star!" She yelled, and Garet turned back to face them.

"Fine!" Said Isaac.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Said Alex. "We'll be waiting for the rest."

Isaac and Garet jumped across the rest of the columns, and walked past Felix and the others on their way to the final Star. Felix turned away as they passed. They quickly hopped over a few more gaps, and reached the final Statue, from which they took a small, red orb, the Mars Star. Moments later, the entire chamber shook and roared, and nearly knocked Felix off his feet.

"What's the matter, what happened?" Yelled Menardi over the rumbling cavern.

"No... Not again..." Grumbled Saturos.

"Without the energy of the Elemental Stars, the chamber is collapsing." Said Alex, calmly.

"Is this the 'terrible retribution' the villagers spoke of?" Said Kraden. "No... This must be more of Alchemy's power!"

The rumbling stopped after a few moments, and the chamber stopped shaking.

"Phew... It's over." Breathed Menardi. "But what was it?"

"What is that?" Cried Jenna, and Saturos drew his sword, which prompted Felix to do the same.

"No..." Said Saturos, as what look like a huge boulder loomed into view overhead. However, it seemed to be floating in mid air, as if being held there by Psynergy.

"Could that be... The _Wise One_?" Said Kraden, aghast.

"Such power... Incredible..." Said Alex, with a similar expression on his face.

Suddenly, the stone itself seemed to shift, and a single, gigantic eye appeared in the middle of the stone's face, and scanned each and every one of them as it floated closer to Isaac and Garet.

"It must be the guardian of the Elemental Stars!" Yelled Saturos, and Felix readied his sword to fight, though he wasn't sure what he could do against such a seemingly powerful opponent...

"This doesn't look good..." Said Felix. "Maybe we should just escape while we can."

Menardi shook her head. "But we need the Mars Star! We can't leave it behind."

Alex shook his head as well. "I agree with Felix; we're no match for the guardian."

"The Mars Star will have to wait for another day..." Said Saturos.

"Hey! What about Isaac and Garet!" Said Jenna. "You can't just leave them here!"

Saturos shook his head at her. "Forget about them. They won't make it out, _alive_."

"But Saturos..." Menardi said, looked rather concerned. "There's still a chance they might survive."

"Anythings possible..." He said. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"We take this... Jenna... With us. If they survive, they will want her back." Said Alex, smirking. "And... If they want her back, they will bring us the _Star_..." He paused. "Regardless.. Kraden _must_ come with us. He is connected to all of this."

Felix gritted his teeth. He didn't trust Alex to begin with, and he thought about fulfilling his promise to punch the man in the gut right then and there, but restrained himself.

"Alex... Are you breaking our promise?" He said.

"Conditions have changed since we made that promise." He said dismissively, which only made Felix more angry at him.

"Jenna is not any part of this! I won't let you hurt her!"

"Do what you will with me, just let Jenna go." Kraden added.

Saturos chuckled. "Your bravery speaks well of you, old man, but you cannot help Jenna now."

"If we leave Jenna, she will surely die... Is that what you want, Felix?" Said Menardi. He hadn't thought of it that way; taking Jenna against her will was something Felix simply could not do, but leaving her to die was simply out of the question...

"Perhaps we ought to continue this elsewhere, Felix." Alex interrupted.

"Alright..." He agreed.

"Please, can we _go_ now?" Said Alex again, motioning towards the glowing door.

Felix nodded. "Yeah... Let's get out of here."

"Let's make haste!" Menardi said, and shoved Jenna toward the door.

"Hey! Don't push my sister!" Felix said, angrily. He hadn't expected Menardi to act that way, although, it was very becoming of her.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" She said, raising her hand to push him as well. "You owe your_ life!" _Felix winced, and stepped back. Menardi was right, after all. But it did not give her the right to harm Jenna.

"Menardi..." Saturos said, putting his hand on his partner's shoulder. She folded her arms and scowled, which, oddly enough, reminded Felix of the same expression Karst made all too often as well.

"Come on. Let's go." She said, and stepped toward the door.

"Master Kraden, you'll be joining us, of course." Saturos said to the elderly man, and beckoned for him and Felix to come along. One after the other, they each exited the chamber through the strange glowing door, with Alex being the last to arrive on the other side.

"We must hurry, it wont be long before this whole chamber collapses!" Said Kraden.

"Don't worry." Said Alex. "Everyone come closer."

As the group converged on Alex, he used the same type of Warp Psynergy that Felix had seen him use before multiple times, but this time on a much larger scale, teleporting the entire party outside of the Sanctum. They quickly made their way down the mountain path and out of the Village of Vale; not many villagers noticed their quick escape, as they were all distracted by the eruption of Mt. Aleph, which covered their escape quite flawlessly.

"Now that we have the Elemental Stars, Prox is finally going to be saved.." said Menardi, and Saturos nodded. "Now all that's left is to light the Beacons..."

Felix nodded too. Although he knew lighting the Beacons would be no easy task. The group set their next destination back to the town of Vault and quickly traveled there with no delay, where they rented several rooms to accommodate their much larger party. Felix shared a room with Jenna, and opted to sleep on the floor, which Jenna did not disagree with. She was silent for the rest of the night, and didn't so much as look at him once, although he constantly tried to grab her attention.

_"She must be furious at me..." _He thought, and cursed Saturos for making him reveal himself to Jenna and the others. He would not sleep well that night, but tried to think positively; soon, he would be able to bring his family together again, and help save Prox from being destroyed by the Void, and he'd be able to see Karst again, and fulfill his promise to bring back her sister and Saturos safe and sound, should their quest be so kind to them. He could only hope that the Lighthouses would not bring about _all_ of their deaths, and should they die, so would Karst and his parents, and all the people in Weyard, as the void slowly consumed the rest of the world...

* * *

Chapter Sixteen. Please review if you can, it's always nice to hear from those of you reading my fic! A lot of these lines came straight out of the game itself, so I had to actually go back and play through again to get everything right... Yeah, so if any Camelot Employees are reading Cinders, -I do not own Golden Sun-

Oh, and if any Camelot Employees ARE reading Cinders, you guys _better_ make Dusk canon in GS4.


	17. Legacy

Cinders

Chapter Seventeen - Legacy

* * *

For many weeks, their journey was long and uneventful. Saturos and Menardi had explained everything about Prox and the Abyss to Kraden shortly after they had left Sol Sanctum, and he had meant to relay the story to Jenna, but Saturos had stopped him, saying she should not know more than she needed to. She was growing used to traveling with them, and didn't fight Saturos or Menardi, but still refused to speak to Felix very often.

Mercury Lighthouse was the first of the Beacons to be lit, simply because it was the closest. At first ascending the Lighthouse seemed simple enough; Alex surprisingly stayed with them the whole time, and used his special Mercury Psynergy to clear the path of puzzles and traps, whilst Saturos and Menardi fought off the many monsters that assailed them as they climbed. It was simple, at least until they finally reached the Aerie. There, they encountered another group of travelers, led by Isaac and Garet, and they claimed that they were there to stop the Beacon from being lit. However Isaac and his companions were too late to stop Saturos, and the Beacon was lit. Felix didn't see the rest, but Saturos had opted to stay behind and deal with Isaac. Menardi took the others down to the base of the Lighthouse, and after a short time Alex and a battered and wounded Saturos joined them.

Saturos had been beaten by Isaac and his companions. At first Felix didn't believe it, but Saturos had blamed his defeat on Mercury Lighthouse, claiming it drained his power once it had been lit. That didn't save him from a heckling Menardi though, who went on and on about how a trained warrior should never lose to a bunch of kids Felix's age, no matter what the scenario. He put her off with a grunt and a shrug, and she treated his wounds. The beacon was lit and everyone was safe, and that's what mattered.

After Mercury Lighthouse, the group traveled towards Venus Lighthouse, the second Beacon to be lit. It was late at night and the group had been crossing through a strange desert, filled with Wind monsters that conjured sandstorms with Psynergy. Alex was able to use his Psynergy to douse the sandstorms though, and Saturos and Menardi made crossing the desert look easy. It was a lot harder on Felix, though, and even Alex seemed to be having some trouble. That was all past him however when Saturos stumbled upon a small girl collapsed in the sand, who seemed close to death.

"Who do you think she is?" Felix asked.

"No idea, but I think she's going to die if we leave her out here." Kraden replied.

"Can't we take her with us?" Felix pleaded with Saturos and Menardi.

"No. Just leave her, she's no use to us." Said Saturos.

"Who knows, Saturos?" Menardi replied. "She could be useful..."

Saturos shook his head and kicked at the girl. She was out cold, but still breathing. "You're too warmhearted, Menardi. What could she possibly do for us?"

"Well you can't just leave her to die! She's just a girl..." Said Felix.

Saturos shook his head. "Very well then. We'll take her out of the desert and see if she's valuable. If not, we're leaving her for the wolves."

Felix sighed. "Very well..." But he certainly didn't mean that. He'd see to it that the girl found her way home. It was beyond him to let an innocent person suffer, especially such a young girl.

Menardi healed the unconscious girl with her Psynergy, and gave her a drink from Felix's canteen, which he did not object. She was barely awake, but alive. Saturos carried her out of the desert with them, and then had her walk on her own. It was already apparent that she was valuable, as it turned out that she was a Jupiter Adept. This made itself apparent when she became fully conscious, and Saturos and Menardi could sense her Psynergy. They asked her to read their minds, and she did so, which was quite amazing in fact. She even read Felix's mind, although he tried to keep most of his personal thoughts safely locked away. They were close to the Lighthouse now, and didn't stop long to rest, and only made a camp for several hours to eat. The girl had said her name was Sheba, and that she had been traveling to Lalivero when her guards had been killed by the monsters of the desert.

"We can take you to Lalivero! It's close to Venus Lighthouse, right?" Exclaimed Felix.

"That's not going to happen." Said Saturos.

"Why not?"

"Because Sheba may be valuable to us. We can't just let her go free."

"Because she's a Jupiter Adept?"

"Precisely."

Felix shook his head. "That doesn't mean we should keep her captive."

Saturos glared at Felix and the girl. "That's exactly what that means. Have you lost sight of our goal, Felix?"

"No..." He replied, and let out a sigh.

"So do not defy us! We will free the girl... Once we've lit the Beacon. There is no need to involve anyone who is not part of the matter."

Felix silently agreed. He hoped what they said was true. The girl was being very quiet. In fact, she hadn't said a word since they'd rescued her, other than telling her name and her short story.

"Thank you for saving me." The girl said to him, quietly, so Saturos and Menardi couldn't hear.

"I couldn't just leave you there... It's nothing." He replied, in a hushed tone as well.

"I could very well have died had you not been there." She said. "Please, tell me your name."

"Felix..."

"Felix..." She repeated him. Taking a long time to mouth his name several times to herself. "Thank you, Felix."

He nodded. Sheba was very strange. He wondered if all Jupiter Adepts were that way. Perhaps they weren't as strange as Proxians, but he had become used to their fiery nature. Her attitude was completely different.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine, only a bit tired and hungry. It's been days since I've had anything to eat..."

"Here." He handed her a piece of bread he'd been saving for later. "I don't need it. Go eat it and get some rest."

She did not protest, and ate the whole thing without a second thought. Then she thanked him, and collapsed down on the grass to sleep.

"Sheba..."

"Yes?"

"I promise you. I'll take you home.. once this is all over..."

She smiled shyly, and nodded. "I hope so..." She yawned, and curled up to rest beside him. He would be sure to keep his promise, no matter what the cost. They would leave within the next few hours, and she was awake and ready by the time they were prepared to leave.

Venus Lighthouse was very close. However, it was guarded. This proved no problem for Saturos and Menardi, however, who cut through the line of soldiers like a knife through butter. There were even scholars among their ranks, who tried to flee, but were cut down as well, or killed almost instantly by Menardi's Psynergy. They left the entrance to the Lighthouse full of scattered bodies, some alive, some already passed into the void, and the passage filled with their final, tortured laments. It was a scene of horror Felix had never encountered before in his life, and he pitied the poor soldiers who had been slain. Kraden had pleaded with Saturos and Menardi to spare the scholars lives, but they paid him no heed and mercilessly cut down anyone they came across.

It quickly became apparent that climbing Venus Lighthouse would not be as easy as climbing Mercury. There seemed to be no way up, and an impassable void blocked their only possible route of ascent. They doubled back and quickly questioned several of the scholars still inside and alive, and while most of them refused to speak, and were quickly disposed of, one young student confessed that there was a strange statue that was said to show the path to the Aerie to only those with Venus blood. Saturos and Menardi checked the room the young man had mentioned, and returned to confirm his information was valid. The man trembled and begged for his life in return for his deed, but Saturos still dispatched him with a swift trust of his blade, and the man silently bled to death on the cold floor.

"Wh-Why did you do that?" Cried Jenna, voicing Felix's concern as well.

Saturos shrugged. "Because he was a traitor. The others would rather have died than divulge the secrets of this place. I was just doing his masters a favor."

"But that doesn't mean he should die.. He was only a boy!" Protested Kraden. "Would you execute your children as traitors?"

"That is beside the point." Said Menardi. "Do not question our methods; you are still our captive.

Kraden scoffed, and held his tongue. Felix did not speak up, but he silently felt for the old man. What Saturos and Menardi were doing was cruel and unnecessary.

"Felix. Go and speak to the statue. You are the only one of us with Venus blood." Saturos commanded, and Felix nodded and obliged.

The statue was massive, and resembled some sort of Venusian Goddess. When he stepped forward and laid his hand on it, the glyphs on the floor seemed to light up and shift, until they created a path on the floor. The energy flowing out from the Statue seemed to urge him towards Babi Lighthouse, where he might find the true path forward. He returned to Saturos and Menardi, and told them that the path to the Aerie was through Babi Lighthouse. They hesitated, but agreed to follow him to the other Lighthouse in trust of his judgement.

They quickly backtracked through the Lighthouse, and left the field of dead soldiers in their wake. They did not stop to rest on the way to Babi Lighthouse, which led them through the small town of Lalivero. The guards attempted to stop them and take Sheba away, but Saturos and Menardi quickly struck them down and continued on. Nobody would stand in their way, and they would surely even strike down Felix or anyone else should they turn against them now. Inside Babi Lighthouse, they came to a door. When they tried to enter, the door shut whenever Kraden attempted to follow them, which led them to conclude that Non-Adepts could not pass beyond that point. Alex spoke up, and offered to take Kraden back to await their arrival.

"Alright." Said Saturos. "Take Kraden to Idejima, where we had you dock our ship earlier."

"You'd best not betray us, Alex." Said Menardi. "We would not hesitate to kill you."

Felix silently agreed. He did not trust Alex with his sister in the slightest. Alex said nothing, and took Kraden and, using his Warp Psynergy, took him to Idejima to await their arrival.

"Say... Saturos?" Said Menardi.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Why is it that Alex can't simply take us to the Aerie with that power of his?"

Saturos frowned. "I'm not sure. Perhaps he cannot travel to a place he's never been before."

She shrugged. "No matter. Come Felix, Sheba. We must make haste."

Saturos and Menardi led them on. As they traveled, they seemed to reenter another part of Venus Lighthouse. They reached a room filled with sand that poured down like waterfalls, and rooms adorned with strange statues that seemed to reach into their hearts and souls. As they climbed closer and closer to the Aerie, Saturos and Menardi became more and more agitated. Eventually, they stopped to rest and regain their senses.

"Felix, come here." Called Menardi, and he came to her side. She handed him a bag, which he recognized as the bag of Mythril that contained the Elemental Stars. She removed the Venus Star, and pushed the bag to his chest.

"We are trusting you with this.. The fate of Prox... Do not betray us, Felix."

"Why?" Felix asked. "Why wouldn't you just keep this with you?"

Saturos interrupted. "Because there is a chance we may have to fight Isaac and his companions again. We cannot allow them to take the Jupiter Star."

"There is one more thing I must ask of you." Said Menardi.

"What?"

"You must protect Sheba. She is vital to our mission. Do you understand?"

He nodded. He would have protected her no matter what value Menardi had placed upon her. He stowed the Mythril bag in his pack, being sure to seal it tight. As they continued on and seemed to have nowhere left to go, they came to a vast hole in the floor. Felix peered down, and saw a strange device that seemed to be a short jump off the edge. The four of them leapt down onto the strange floating machine, and it suddenly jerked up and lifted them skyward. As they exited the roof of the Lighthouse, they were greeted by a blinding sun and the brilliant Venus Lighthouse Aerie, adorned with statues and carvings praising the power of Weyard itself...

"Now, Felix. We've reached the Aerie." Said Saturos. "We have no further use for you or Jenna here."

Felix stepped back, alarmed. _"No use for me? Do they mean to kill me now that they don't need me anymore?" _He thought, and placed his hand on the hilt of his blade to defend himself, should they attack him.

"Bring your sister back to the Ship. We will meet you there once this is done." Ordered Menardi. Felix sighed and relaxed a bit. Saturos and Menardi's treatment of the soldiers before had unnerved him... They just didn't feel like the same people he knew..

"The ship is docked at Idejima, to the Southwest of here. We had Alex bring her around from Imil after we passed through Suhulla Desert. Take the elevator down to the bottom. Don't fight any monsters you may find, you are not strong enough yet."

"Fine." He agreed.

* * *

It had all happened too fast. When he had brought Jenna back to Idejima, he left her with Kraden, who he was sure would watch out for her, and had immediately returned to Venus Lighthouse. He had to take Sheba with him as well, like he'd promised. Once he reached the Aerie again, Saturos and Menardi weren't pleased to see him, and they would not let him take Sheba back to the ship, no matter how much he protested. He even went as far as to defy them, as he could not betray his promise to protect Sheba, no matter the cost, but Saturos and Menardi's words had stung him.. His promise to Sheba seemed to label him a traitor in their eyes.

Something unexpected had happened, though. Isaac had made an appearance, and forced Saturos and Menardi to fight them in order to light the Beacon. The battle was long and spectacular; he'd never seen Saturos and Menardi fight so fiercely, nor his old childhood friends, who had become so powerful in such a short time... So powerful that, once the battle had concluded, Saturos and Menardi were both badly hurt, and completely defeated. They would not light the beacon. Prox would fade away into the abyss, and everyone would die...

But even though he had no strength to even move, Saturos took the Venus Star from his pack, and hurled it into the Beacon with all his might. Isaac moved to stop him, but it was too late. The beacon was already lit, and Felix was greeted with a burst of energy from the tower's light. Saturos and Menardi seemed to feel it too, as they got back to their feet and faced Isaac and his friends yet again, although they surely knew that they could not win if they tried to fight again in their state. But Saturos and Menardi stood confident; they must have been up to something.

"You may have beaten the two of us..."

"But now, you face the true might of the Fire Clan of the North!"

"Bear witness to the true strength of the Northern Wilds!"

Saturos and Menardi stood tall again, overflowing with immense power the likes of which Felix had never seen. He was sure they would not lose, but there was still a chance they could be defeated again...

"Go, _Felix_!" Menardi turned to him and yelled. "Take Sheba and _go_!"

"I can... Go?"

"We may not have the strength to protect Sheba after this.. You must take her to the ship without fail!" Saturos yelled.

Felix looked to Sheba, and then to Menardi, and Saturos. If what he said was true, Saturos and Menardi meant to sacrifice themselves...

"What are you waiting for? Go! _Now!_" Menardi yelled. She stared hard at him, urging him to run away. To save Sheba, and himself. She wasn't only concerned about Sheba's life... He was certain of that. He'd done too much running, though. He wasn't prepared to let her or Saturos kill themselves for the sake of their mission.

"...No. I cannot leave you to fight them alone."

"Are you saying you don't want to lose to Isaac?" Said Saturos.

Menardi looked at Saturos for a long moment, and then turned back to Felix. She still glared at him, just as before.

"I wonder if that's true..."

Felix frowned. "What was that?"

"Wouldn't you be just a little sad to see your childhood friend perish?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you're here to protect this brat from your past..."

"Do you really think I would _help_ them?"

"Let's just say that I wouldn't put it past you."

Felix frowned. Did Menardi really not trust him anymore? Despite all the cruel things Saturos and Menardi had done, they were still his mentors and allies, and her words still hurt him...

"And you, Saturos? Do you agree?"

He smirked. "I wouldn't say that... But it would be best not to raise our suspicion."

"Now, who's telling whom what's best? Fine! I'll take Sheba for you!" Felix yelled back at them both, enraged that they would think he would actually help Isaac defeat them. Even though they had trusted him with the Jupiter Star, they still did not trust him to fight alongside them...

He took Sheba's arm, and tugged her along. "Come on, Sheba." She followed closely, but stopped halfway to the elevator that would lead them down.

"Come on! We've got to go, it's going to get really dangerous here!" He said, but she didn't budge.

"Felix. You do not want to leave these people behind, do you?"

"Well, I..."

"And you do not want to see your friend Isaac die, either, do you?"

"No..."

Sheba turned around. She stood still, and they watched the battle begin to unfold... But there was no battle. At least, not yet. Saturos and Menardi still stood there, but something was different... They glowed with an immense amount of Psynergy, and they had both dropped their weapons. They seemed to pull toward each other like magnets, until they met at arms length, clasped their hands together, and their bodies exploded into one another in a massive, white-hot explosion of heat. Saturos and Menardi were no more; in their place was something the likes of which Felix had never even dreamed: a gigantic, two-headed beast, just like the ones depicted on the tapestries adorning the homes of all Proxians.

He never thought any warrior was capable of such power, much less combining with another person. It could have been a Proxian trait, and perhaps the reason why they were paired from birth... Their power was magnificent, and for a long time, Felix was sure that they would triumph, but Isaac and his friends were even more powerful than he had originally thought... Every blow the dragon dealt was dodged, or blocked, or deflected, and the four Adepts did not cease their relentless attack. At one point the dragon found an advantage, and nearly crushed the smaller Wind adept with it's tail, but he was healed and back up again but a moment later. In the end, Isaac dealt a fatal blow to the beast, stabbing its massive body with a great sword of Psynergy he hurled from above, and it collapsed, releasing the two Proxians from their bound state.

The two stood together, each still clasping the other's hand from the moment they'd merged. There was a brief period when nothing happened at all, and then, they fell...

Felix could, for the first time in many months, feel himself wanting to cry. They were not his friends or his family, and they were cruel, cruel people. But he valued them nonetheless, and he had made a promise to bring them both back home, safe and sound. He'd made a promise that, now, he could not keep...

Sheba held his hand. At first, he though she was just trying to comfort him, but then he felt her consciousness touch his, and Sheba's Psynergy reached outward towards someone else, until he felt a familiar, warm touch...

"_Couldn't ask for a better end..."_

"_Only wish I..."_

"_See my sister again..."_

"_Be good to her..."_

"_Felix."_

_

* * *

_CH. 17 Up!

I thought ending the chapter here was appropriate. Don't worry Sheba, I didn't forget you.

Please Rate/Review!


	18. Little Madra

Cinders

Chapter Eighteen - Little Madra

* * *

_He was falling. Falling to what was certainly his death. It'd all happened so fast, and Sheba had nearly fallen, but he'd caught her by the wrist, just in time. He'd held on to the poor girl for all he was worth, but she'd given up, and so he'd taken a leap of faith. Not only for his personal promise, but for the fates of all those whom he loved, who would surely fall into the abyss, just like he was, if Sheba were to die._

_The land below grew closer and closer, and he knew his death was imminent. The rushing air blurred his vision, and he saw nothing but the girl reaching up to him, and the jagged cliffs that would surely crush them into dust. There was no time to look back or regret, and so he closed his eyes and prepared to meet his end. As he opened them for one final sight, the land below was overcome by a torrent of water, erasing any trace of those jagged cliffs. The massive, blue and white wave came like a miracle of nature, and opened its watery gape to swallow them both. The great currents enveloped him, and every ounce of strength was drained from his body. With what he was sure were his final, choked breaths, his vision grew hazy and dark..._

* * *

Felix, drenched in sweat, opened his eyes. He felt like he'd just climbed out of the ocean at Venus Lighthouse all over again, or had been fished out of another river by Menardi, drowned to an inch of his life.

As his mind returned to him, he remembered where he was. It was an Inn in a small town called Madra. He, Jenna, Sheba and Kraden had come there to speak to the Mayor. That short visit was not their only encounter in the little town, however. Karst, whom he'd thought not to see again until the very end of his journey, had made an unexpected appearance. Her words still rung in his head; her expression still flashed across his eyes. The sight of her whole world crashing down around her as the others told her how Menardi was dead.

Felix hadn't said a word, but he regretted that now. Menardi was her only family left, and losing her had struck her a deep wound. He knew he should have said something meaningful to her, but he hadn't been able to manage a single thing. It was as though his heart had jumped up into his throat, in a horrid convulsion of pity and regret. That awful feeling still lingered inside him, festering away like a sickness.

He shot out of bed, and threw on his boots and scarf. Stepping lightly out of his room, he made certain to muffle every step so not to wake the others as he made his way out of the Inn. The lobby was empty; everyone must have been asleep at that late hour. He made his way out the front door and shut it quietly behind him. It was pitch dark outside, save for the few lonely flickers of light from the lanterns hung above the doorways.

Karst was long gone from where he'd seen her that afternoon, but Felix expected as such. He walked to the town gates, and asked a night watch guard if a strange girl had left town that night.

"Yes, some odd looking girl attacked me when I questioned her a few hours ago! Left me this little souvenir..." The guard pointed to a bloody bandage on his cheek. "Do you know her?"

Felix nodded. The guard pointed him in the direction of the woods to the south and wished him luck. He laughed, and thanked the man for his aid, then headed off in the direction of the woods, scanning the dark for any signs of a camp. He soon spotted a faint flicker of flame, and as he approached, he saw Karst, alone, sitting and prodding her small campfire with the end of her scythe. She shot up as soon as she noticed Felix approach her, and held her weapon ready.

"It's me!" He said. "Felix!" She lowered her weapon, but did not relax.

"What do you want?" She asked.

He said nothing. In truth he wasn't even sure what he wanted, or even why he came.

"I should have said something earlier... The others didn't know Menardi like I did. They spoke too rashly... I'm sorry, Karst."

"Your words don't mean anything, Felix." She said, and looked away. "She is gone, and that Isaac is to blame."

"No." Said Felix. "Isaac is no murderer."

"So you would side with him? Did you truly betray my sister?"

"Of course not! I would never-"

"But you were there, weren't you? You saw her in peril, and did nothing!" Karst yelled, and threw her scythe on the ground. Felix tried to come closer to her, but she stepped away as he approached...

"I had no choice..." He said. "She had me leave to protect Sheba... She forced me, but she was just trying to protect me... I see that now."

Karst frowned, but stood still, and let him approach her. "I want to believe you, Felix..." She said. "But if you helped Isaac, than you've betrayed me... I could never forgive you."

He placed a hand on her cheek, and gently brushed her disheveled hair away from her face. She did not shy from his touch, but refused to meet his eyes.

"I would never betray you, Karst.."

She folded her arms, and broke away from his touch. She bent over and picked up her scythe, and glared at him. "So... Felix. Help me."

"What do you mean?"

She put on a malicious smile, and continued staring him down. "Help me kill Isaac."

He blinked. "Wh-What?"

"We could do it together, Felix... Just help me get to him."

"Karst, I-" He stuttered, "I can't murder my childhood friend... I can't betray my friends and family..."

"And do your 'friends' mean more to you than I?" She scowled. "Would you prefer your pathetic Valian friends?"

"No... No more blood, Karst. Enough people have died already... Don't pursue this, please..."

"I won't be able to live freely until my sister is given Justice. You must understand _that_ much, Felix."

Felix shook his head, and tried to think up some way to convince Karst to change her mind. He was almost tempted to tell her yes, only so he could be with her again, but he could not...

"I can't let you just kill him. But Karst, he means nothing to me compared to you... Don't you see that more killing won't get you anywhere?"

She shook her head. "That is not the way I was taught, Felix. That is not how things work."

"But it doesn't _have_ to end that way! I won't let you kill _anyone_."

"If you would save him from me, then you would betray Prox... Do you really think that's wise?"

"I would never betray Prox." Felix said. Karst smiled at him, and set her scythe down again.

"Then come with me..." She said. "Come help me avenge Menardi. I know you cared for her too, I want your help in this, Felix..."

He didn't answer her. He wasn't sure if he _could_ answer her.

"Please..." She said again. "Please, I'll ask you as many times as it takes. Don't make me fall to my knees and beg."

She might as well have done so anyway, by the way she stared him down as she pleaded for his help, and Felix stood, stunned that she would even consider begging. Especially for _his_ help, which he could not for the life of him understand why she would need, or want. She may have thought Isaac would be too strong for her, but it didn't seem like her to be afraid of a fight...

"I.. I can't betray Jenna, Karst... She thinks so highly of him.. I don't know.." He stuttered, trying to find the right order of words so his answer wouldn't hurt her, more than it had to.

She grit her teeth, and ran both her hands through her scarlet hair. Her shoulders tightened, and he could see a bead of blood drip down her chin, as she bit down hard on her lip.

"You've made your choice." She said. "If you care for those damned Southerners more than you do me, then why do you even bother to come here? Am I nothing to you?"

She spat the blood from her mouth at his face, and turned away. Felix wiped his face and stepped towards her.

"You left me alone, with nothing." She said. "The others... They don't mean a thing to me. Not like Menardi, or Saturos... Or you, Felix."

"I don't know what to say to you, Karst. I'm sorry."

"You should say you'll come with me, Felix. Those friends aren't worth your time. You should know by now that they're not like us... Southerners are weak. They're... Not worth it.." She muttered.

"You know that I'm one of them, Karst.. I'm just like they are."

"Then go _back_ to them, and don't come back to me, _ever_ again." She said, and broke away from him again.

He felt his heart shoot back up into his throat again. His feelings for Karst had far from diminished, if anything they were stronger than ever, and she was just as beautiful as ever, too. Every time he refused her, it grew more and more difficult to do it again.

She stood there with her arms limp at her sides, gently clenching her fists. Some of the brown, dead leaves that covered the ground clung to her messy red hair as they fell from the trees above. There was a faint smell of cedar and pine in the air as well that mixed well with Karst's familiar scent of Proxian northern mint... Her favorite.

He placed a had on her again and tried to hug her, gently. She pushed him away at first, but didn't continue resisting him for long. She was tense, though, and she wouldn't relax, almost like she was holding her breath. She looked down at her feet and bit her lip again, this time without drawing blood.

"We can't be allies, Felix... It's hopeless. Even our peoples have always hated each other. Not even our friendship should have existed at all. It's just.. An abomination."

"What do you mean, Karst? Who said we've always hated each other..."

He paused, and she shook her head. "You should go now." She said.

He didn't let go yet. She didn't attempt to break away though, and finally let herself relax, at least somewhat, into his arms. He took her hand, gently, and watched her eyes crawl up his arm to lock with his and stare. There was a long silence, that seemed to convey something unspoken between them. He hoped that she would come closer, or_ something_, _anything_ that would bring them together again, maybe even let him relive that one kiss that he'd never forgotten...

She looked down. He knew he'd have to tell her everything, else she'd disappear again, and he might never get the chance...

"Your hands are freezing, Felix." She said. They were. He'd forgotten his gloves. He moved his face closer to hers, if only by an inch. He longed to kiss her again, and damn the consequences should she refuse, but he just couldn't bring himself forward any further. All he could see was sadness and frustration in the girl's eyes, and then something else he couldn't describe. Maybe, that thing was the only reason she still stood there with him.

He let go of her. He'd known his chances with Karst were slim, and now, they were none. It was over, just as she said, they could never be friends, or anything more. They were an abomination. As he stepped away she stared at him, and then gently shook her head in a silent goodbye. She quickly turned on her heels and sat back by her little fire, prodding and sparking it back to life. It had nearly died off while they had been speaking, reduced to a dull orange glow. Felix stood still for a moment, and saw Karst hide her face, covering her eyes with a gloved palm. He finally turned away and walked alone in the dark, following the many lantern-lights on the horizon that pointed the way back.

The party departed Madra the next morning at sunrise, with no-one the wiser of Felix's late-night departure. Karst had disappeared overnight, and he saw no trace of her as they left.

* * *

So my Laptop's battery has been dying out on me, or the charger was broken, or... Something. Long story short I couldn't finish or upload this chapter until I got everything fixed. Guess what? It's fixed. Guess what else? It took me forever to upload because I kept getting this damned Error. I've been writing anyway despite the troubles, even though I haven't uploaded, so expect chapter nineteen soon.

Please rate/review/love/criticize!


	19. Eye for an Eye

Cinders

Chapter Nineteen - Eye for an Eye

* * *

Piers shrugged, holding his left hand on the hilt of his blade. Karst and Agatio stood behind them, and had nearly achieved their goals until Felix had intervened. Karst had labeled him a traitor for saving Isaac, she said she'd seen it in his eyes, and it had hurt to hear her finally utter those words the way she did, after all they'd said before. It was finally, undeniably so; he had no hope of having her. It was beyond him to let Karst end Isaac's life, no matter how much empathy he had for her. It was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

Piers handed him the Jupiter Star.

"Toss it in, and get ready." He said. "I don't trust these two."

Felix nodded, and took the star. He cast the little orb into the Beacon, and was suddenly thrown back on his heels by the powerful flash of Jupiter Psynergy.

"_...Felix..."_

Karst's voice whispered from behind him. He turned and saw her and Agatio; Karst stepped back, after coming close enough to whisper his name...

"We simply can't trust you anymore..." She said out loud.

"And now that Jupiter Lighthouse is lit, I'm afraid we have little use for traitors..." Said Agatio.

"What are you saying...?" Said Felix, and Karst stepped up next to him, so close their faces nearly touched, and whispered again:

"_I'm sorry... But you made your choice."_

She spoke to him softly, and came even closer, her lips only an inch away from his own. So close, he could feel her heated breath, and his stomach turned as she took one more step, and her lower lip brushed against his...

She jumped back but a second later, Felix's nerves still racing, his heart still beating like a drum... But something was wrong. His pocket felt lighter... And suddenly he realized what exactly Karst had just done.

"They stole the Mars Star!" He said to Piers, who nodded. He eyed Felix for a moment; what he'd just seen must have struck him as very odd...

Karst laughed, and tossed the Star to Agatio, who stowed it in his pocket. She readied her scythe, and prepared to fight.

"It's time to die, Felix."

Karst struck out at Felix first. She came at him quickly; she had always been light on her feet, probably a result of training in Prox's deep snow. Felix had been through the same thing though, and had grown much stronger in his travels. He jumped back, clear of the long reach of her scythe, and made a swift jabbing counterattack with his sword. She parried it easily, and advanced on him again. It appeared that she'd greatly improved as well in the months he'd been gone. Her weapon was no dull training blade, either. Felix continued to dodge her blows, as he feared that if he should try to parry her strikes, her massive scythe would bend or outright shatter his small iron sword. He used to wonder how such a small-framed girl could wield something so heavy, until he had his first real duel with her. The way she wielded her weapon let the weight of the heavy blade carry her through as she gained momentum. She let the scythe do the fighting for her. She used wide, heavy sweeps, and twirled her small body like a dervish. Even then, she was surprisingly agile when not using her momentum to her advantage; the only way she could move and attack so quickly would be if Proxian scythes were made from some type of weightless, yet, somehow extremely heavy and powerful metal. Dark Matter, perhaps.

She was relentless, one slash after another, each of which Felix was forced to dodge and duck under. She lashed out with a blast of Psynergy after a long line of attacks, which caught him off guard and singed his chest. It made his old scars tingle under his skin. As the battle went on, he began to tire; his attacks were becoming slow and clumsy, and he'd accumulated a plethora of cuts, burns and bruises on his arms, legs and body, which were beginning to take their toll on his strength. She landed a blow with the hilt of her scythe that struck him clean in the chest, and knocked the breath out of his body. Staggered, he tried to regain his balance. There was a small window as Karst raised her scythe again to finish him off, and he swung his sword in a quick uppercut, putting all his remaining strength behind this final desperate attack. As he struck out at Karst, he cut her just above the eye, and she screamed and clutched her face as the blood blinded her vision. Felix backed off, feeling too guilty to attack her while she was blind, but she took no time to recover and wiped the blood from her face as she continued her attack. She aimed for his legs, and he jumped over her sweeping blow and struck out at her again, this time intending just to stun her and not cause further harm. He succeeded, landing a hard blow with the flat edge of his sword against her knuckles. She dropped her scythe and screamed again, which was paired with the sound of shattering bone. It grated on Felix's ears, and his nerves, and he cringed at the sight of causing her such awful pain. He did not hesitate, and kicked the scythe away from her. She slumped down to her knees in defeat, cradling her one broken hand with the other. Her arm and legs were covered in blood.

Felix stared at her, until he finally took the time to look around, and saw that both Jenna and Sheba had joined the fray. Agatio was fighting with both of them, as well as Piers, and was on his last legs as well. He turned his attention back to Karst, who had scrambled for her weapon when he turned his back.

"Karst, wait!" He yelled, and tapped his Psynergy, shifting the ground under her scythe to knock it further away from her grip.

"Damn you Felix! You traitor!" She spat at his feet. "I swear I'll never forgive you for this!"

"Karst..."

Felix sheathed his blade, and offered her his hand, which she rejected. She wouldn't stand, or perhaps she couldn't, and Felix turned away yet again to see Agatio defeated as well, slumped down and clutching a wound to his left arm that looked serious. They needed to be healed, immediately, or they probably wouldn't make it down the Lighthouse again...

"Finish us!" Agatio bellowed, taking him by surprise.

"What's the matter? Are you going to do it or not?" Choked Karst, retching an uncomfortably large amount of blood. He feared he may have hurt her far more than he'd intended.

Felix shook his head. "No. No one has to die here."

"You've made the better choice, Felix."

Alex appeared beside them, sporting his usual arrogant smile and smug appearance, and stood between Karst and Felix. He turned to the Proxians, and used his Psynergy to heal them both. Agatio and Karst stood up and faced Felix and the others, but were not strong enough to continue the fight. They could barely keep themselves standing as it was.

"I have revived them." Alex said.

"Why! Are you going to make us fight them again?" Said Jenna.

"Don't worry, Jenna. Look at them, they can barely walk right now."

Agatio and Karst glared at Alex, and he gave them a smirk.

"We should be going before Isaac and the others arrive."

They nodded in agreement. They could hear Isaac's group coming up the Aerie. Agatio followed closely behind Alex as he headed for the elevator, and Karst followed him in turn, eyeing Felix as she passed by him. They soon disappeared out of sight, and Isaac and his party appeared on the other side. Jenna ran to Isaac immediately and hugged him, and Isaac greeted her as well, all the while eyeing Felix carefully, keeping a hand on the hilt of his sword.

The party returned together to the town of Contigo, where Felix and his group explained everything about the Void, Prox, and the Lighthouses, as well as the ever-fleeting time left for Weyard's survival. They were surprisingly understanding, and did not dispute their information. It was clear Isaac and the others did not trust Felix, at least not entirely, but they trusted Kraden's word as well as Jenna's without question.

* * *

The now reunited parties spent the night at the Inn in Contigo, and Felix had yet to turn in after the sun had set and the rest of his friends had gone to sleep. He'd ordered a drink, and sat alone in the lobby. It was damp and dark, only lit by a few candles and the light from the chef's oven. The smell of fresh cornbread wafted through the room. Many of the attendants and attendees were still very lively; Contigo must have had somewhat of a nightlife, but Felix wasn't in the mood to socialize.

Piers came in from the other room, and sat next to him. He paused for a moment to see if Felix would respond to his appearance, but when he heard nothing, he greeted him with a kindhearted "Hello".

He went to the barmaid and ordered a drink for himself, then sat down again and patted Felix on the shoulder.

"There there, Felix. That must have been rough." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Felix replied.

"Well, I think we both know what I'm talking about." He said, and smiled at him.

Piers took a sip from his frothy mug, and Felix followed suit. It was bitter. He set it back down, and pushed it across the table, away from him.

"What was all that, anyway?" Piers asked from over his cup. He'd drained it nearly halfway already.

"What was what?"

"Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."

Felix shook his head, and looked away. Piers set down his glass and stared in disbelief.

"Oh, come on. Jupiter Lighthouse. Prox girl. You two had a... _Moment_."

Felix looked up, and sighed. "It was nothing. It doesn't matter."

"From the look on your face, it looked like it mattered a whole lot."

"We were friends. That's all."

"Oh, I don't think you were just _friends_."

He glared at Piers. _"Where does he get off prying into my business like this? Lemurians never seem to like acting like normal human beings."_

"Now now, no need to get cross," Piers said, "I'm only concerned for your well being."

Felix took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. "I'm fine." He said, and Piers nodded. The sailor stood up, and left Felix alone. He wondered if Piers somehow knew how he felt about Karst, and he hoped he wouldn't share that knowledge with the others, especially Jenna. She would probably have a fit if she knew how he felt about that girl. The only one he wouldn't mind knowing would be Sheba; she probably knew already anyway, since she could have read his mind at any time and seen her passing through his thoughts. He wondered what the others might think of him harboring such feelings for a girl that had just tried to kill them, and he laughed at the thought. It was probably more likely that they would just think it was a joke.

He decided it was best he go to bed, and returned to his room. Jenna had to bunk with him, as there now weren't enough beds for their larger party. She was already fast asleep in the bed, so Felix took a blanket and pillow from the nearby wardrobe and made himself a bed on the floor. Their bedroom was small, but quaint and quiet, just what he needed to rest his tired body. His wounds had been healed, but his mind still plagued him with a festering guilt that made every muscle in his body ache. He tossed off his boots and removed his gloves, only then noticing the blotches of still-fresh blood that stained his palms. Karst's blood, not his. He threw them down on the floor beside him, averting his gaze. He looked over himself for any more blood, but found none, and let himself collapse into his makeshift bed, and drift of into unconsciousness...

* * *

Fastest upload ever, but now I'm getting the stupid Error Type 2 again! I swear, FF hates me.

Please review! Thank you for reading.


	20. Chasing Ghosts

Cinders

Chapter Twenty - Chasing Ghosts

* * *

Prox was uncannily warm that day. Felix had checked out of his room at the Inn early in the morning, and made his way through town to perhaps find a place to stay for a while. His foster grandparents, a old Proxian couple who had looked after his parents and occasionally brought him meals and clothes during the brief respites in his training, still lived in the house where his parents had stayed. They hadn't been close to Felix often then, but they thought of him as one of their own, and sometimes his parents still spoke of them. They were very kind, and would surely take him in if he asked for a place to stay, so he found the couple and asked for a room in their home.

"Of course you can stay with us, Felix! Our home is your home." Said his foster grandmother. Her husband nodded in agreement, and showed him to a small bedroom; the same room in which his parents stayed, if he remembered right.

Felix handed the old man a small pouch of coin for the room. The man rejected it, but Felix was persistent, and after a few minutes of goading the old man took the coin and thanked him for his generosity. The old couple probably needed the money more than him, he thought, and he had plenty of gold accumulated from his travels.

He laid down his pack and examined the room; it was small but cozy, and adorned with many skins and furs, like most Proxian homes, and that leathery, natural scent emanated from the pelts, giving the home a very _wild_ feel. The pelts varied greatly in size, shape and color; the northern wilds held many strange and magnificent animals that the Proxians hunted for food and clothing, and for many years it was their only source for such things, other than the occasional Proxian ice fisherman or seal hunter that chose to stalk the tundra rather than brave the dangerous wilds. Great wild deer with huge antlers and pure white northern bears were only some of the dangers, and those were timid in comparison to the giant, ragged wolves that were hunted by men no more than they hunted men themselves. Some of the finest clothes in Weyard were made from their soft white fur.

By the light of the fireplace, Felix unpacked his few belongings, including the Sol Blade and Teleport Lapis, which he wrapped up together in a piece of cloth and hid under his bed, for fear that some poor soul might get a little too greedy. He sat down and examined his thoughts of the meeting with Puelle the day before. There were many reasons why he returned to Prox: it was the only place outside Vale he knew he could call home, and the only place he thought he would be truly welcome. It was not like the rest of the world, not in the slightest, and he'd grown fond of Proxian life, sometimes even wishing he'd been born Proxian in the first place. Still though, some part of him hadn't returned to Prox just as a place to stay. Something inside him _knew_ that Karst was still alive, somewhere, even if every ounce of sense he had told him he was wrong. He'd seen her die with his own eyes, and thought that maybe, if he came to Prox and finally saw her grave, he could lay those feelings to rest.

Puelle's words made Felix uncomfortable, though. Karst's body had never been found, and yet, even if she was alive, she had not returned to Prox in all the time he'd been gone. He remembered that the road to the Lighthouse had been blocked by an avalanche caused by a massive earthquake, which was triggered by the beacon being lit. The rock and snow could never have let anyone in, or out, for several months after the Golden Sun event. Maybe, somehow, Karst was still alive, inside. Without thinking another moment on it, he took the Sol Blade and Teleport Lapis from the cloth, and left for the outskirts of town.

The road to Mars Lighthouse was completely clear now, but it was hardly well traveled. After the beacon lit, the monsters that prowled the halls had all disappeared, so the Lighthouse was far less dangerous. Perhaps though, people still feared becoming lost in the labyrinthine tower, or falling victim to the many traps that still functioned to prevent all but the most powerful adepts from climbing to the Aerie. Or perhaps they feared the stories of the "monstrous dragon" that killed Agatio and Karst. Felix knew better, though. He'd made up that story himself, to save himself and the others from the blame; after all, he'd killed Karst with his own hands.

He made his way to the base of the Lighthouse, and found the doors still unsealed. The tiled floor was warm to the touch, and he could feel the heat emanating even from the walls and ceiling. He drew the Sol Blade, just in case. The rooms were all empty, and seemed almost dead. No life, not even a rat or an arctic fox, which were quite common all over Prox, was anywhere in sight. No holes or dens carved into the walls. No prints or dung on the floors. The whole place was dead. The room where he'd fought Karst and Agatio was the same way. His heart sank a little when he saw nothing was there, but he'd expected as much. It had been over a year since he'd last been there, holding her in his arms, or thrusting the Sol Blade through her chest. He'd gone nearly six months without so much as looking at the Sol Blade after that. It disgusted him, and constantly reminded him of the hours he'd spent scrubbing off the blood. It still sickened him, but it was necessary. He could have bought a new blade, but he'd become attached to his sword. It reminded him of what he did, and he carried it as a burden.

Felix searched through each and every room of the Lighthouse, retracing his steps from his very first venture to the top. When he reached the Aerie after finding nothing but empty rooms and lifeless halls from bottom to top, he let himself rest for a moment and regain his strength. The light from the beacon seemed to make his Mars blood surge with renewed energy, just as it did when he first cast in the Star and saved Prox, and the world, from ultimate destruction. That light had the power to save both his parent's lives, as well as grant Saturos and Menardi unthinkable power. If Karst were there, she _must_ have been saved as well, but he knew searching the Lighthouse again would be a fruitless effort. He'd seen her die. Nothing, not even a Lighthouse, could bring back the dead.

Nothing, that is, except Alchemy. He'd heard that somewhere before. Perhaps it was Kraden who mentioned it, or maybe it was one of Menardi's stories about the Proxians use of Alchemy long ago, before it was sealed away and their methods long forgotten. Alchemy had the power to bring back those who had died, no matter how many years passed. Just knowing that there was a chance, however small, gave him the will to ascend the Lighthouse that one last time. He stood at the precipice, and could still make out the little town of Prox to the south, and the faint remains of the Void, still retreating slowly northward. He took the Teleport Lapis in hand again, and tapped the Psynergy contained within; his body evaporated in place, and he appeared just outside the massive lighthouse doors, and began the trek back to a warm bed and a meal.

The sun had just set by the time he reentered his new home, and his foster-grandmother had already prepared him a meal for when he returned; fillet fish and boiled greens, probably bought from a Kalt Island trader at the marketplace in town. He took a seat, letting himself relax, if only a little, as he ate. The food was good, contrary to the boiled weeds and rotten cheese that he'd been forced to eat all too often years ago. Aside from, of course, when Menardi was able to hunt and cook. Without her cooking, he'd probably have starved. She'd even made the damned weeds taste better.

He thanked his foster grandmother for the meal, and retired to his room for the night. It was already dark, but not very late as of yet. His fruitless search of the lighthouse did nothing to lighten his heavy mood, but he couldn't bear to go out again. He felt he could search his whole life and never be satisfied, since he knew he'd never find what he wanted. There were many ways to explain how Karst's body may have disappeared, most of which he didn't like to think about. There was nothing he could do to save her now, not even if he _could_ use Alchemy. The thought of his sword piercing her heart, a moment he relived over and over again; a moment he could never forget, was the sobering reminder that she would never be coming back...

* * *

_Felix drew his blade from the ragged flesh of the beast he'd slain; the blood splattered the floor in a wicked arc as the creature fell to meet it's end. Isaac pushed him aside and countered the smaller beast. which had lunged at Felix to avenge its fallen comrade. It reaped its claws across Isaac's chest-plate, forcing him to retreat, and continued its charge toward Felix. He readied the Sol Blade, and Sheba cast her Psynergy to sharpen its edge as the creature closed in for a desperate attack, rearing on its hind legs and blasting a wave of fire from its mouth. Felix rolled to the side, and closed in for the kill, driving the wide tip of the sword into the Dragon's heart._

_He plunged the sword in as deep as he could while the creature clawed at his arms, ripping the flesh and spilling his own blood as well, until its strength gave way to his, and its movement ceased for good. He withdrew his sword and let the thing fall, and prepared to finish it off, placing his blade against it's still-breathing throat..._

"Felix, wait! Something's happening to the other one!" Cried Sheba, pointing to where the larger Dragon had fallen. Except the Dragon was no longer there - a man lay on his side, covered in blood; a man he thought he'd recognized...

He stepped back from the creature laying beneath him, and held his sword loose in his hands. He watched as its limp body glowed white hot and shrunk, until he could make out another familiar shape, one he feared he may never see again.

His sword slipped from his bloody hands, crashing into the floor in a flurry of sparks. He opened his mouth but couldn't find any air to form his words, or call her name. He simply stared at Karst's dying body, as if the whole world outside had ceased to exist.

She didn't seem to see him at first, or know he was there... She looked first to her partner, and then to her wounds...

"Why... Why am I lying here?" Said Agatio. "Wait, I think I remember... We were going to light the Beacon..."

"But the lighthouse was frozen. We wandered lost inside, trying to find the Aerie..." Said Karst to her partner. "We must hurry... If we delay, Prox is destroyed."

"It's no use... I'm absolutely drained... I can't even stand." He said to her.

Karst held her wounds and tried to look around, but had no strength as well. "And the cold... Why am I so cold? We of the Fire Clan are meant to be immune to the cold..."

"I feel the cold too, Karst..." Agatio said. "I... I'm afraid we're going to die up here..."

She closed her eyes, still unaware who was there with her, or whose sword has pierced her chest... "I can feel it now... The long, dark sleep creeping into my soul..."

"Wait, I think I remember..." Agatio said. "The eye... It told us that we lack the will to go any farther."

"The eye... I remember now... I felt its gaze pierce me to the core, then it all went black..."

"That's right... And I remember fighting against Felix..."

Felix's insides cringed with guilt. He almost wanted to run away, so they would never know it was him who had sent them to their deaths...

"I do, too... Was it a dream? An illusion?"

Neither of them looked his way, but he could feel they knew he was there...

"Felix, is that you?"

"...Yes."

"Amazing... Then our luck hasn't entirely run out yet..." Agatio said, and smiled. "Felix, you must complete our quest... Please... You have to light the Beacon..."

"No..." Felix said. "You'll both be alright. You can light the Beacon yourselves, just let us heal you, please."

Karst looked over to him and smiled, reacher her hand across the bloody floor... "We can't even stand... We're in no condition to go on. Light the Beacon for us... Please."

"You'll need the Mars Star. Go on... Take it."

"Please hurry... If I can just see the light of the Beacon, I'll know that I haven't died in vain."

Felix stared in disbelief. "No! You're not going to die at all! I can still do something... I can heal you!"

Agatio shook his head. "We're counting on you."

"I wont let you just die here, I promise. There's got to be something I can do."

"It's too late for us now... Hurry, light the Beacon."

Agatio held out the Star to him, and he took it and stowed it in the Mythril bag. "I swear, I'll light the Beacon for you, but I'm coming back to save you!"

"Don't be a fool, Felix." He said. Felix shook his head and turned to Karst, taking her outstretched hand.

"I wont let you die, Karst. I can't!"

"_Felix..."_

"_Your hands... So warm..."_

"_People have such warm hands... I had forgotten..."_

He took her into his arms, freeing her body from the pool of frozen blood that had collected beneath her while she spoke. She felt so cold...

"Don't die, Karst! Please..."

"It's alright, Felix.." She whispered to him. Her breath was so weak now, it felt as though all the air was escaping her lips each time she opened her mouth. "It's okay... I can see my sister again... She'd be so happy..."

"No, she wouldn't, Karst... She wouldn't want you to die, and neither do I."

"She'd be so proud of you, too... The hero of Prox..." She kept smiling; it drove him crazy every minute she looked at him that way... Like she always used to do, so long ago...

"This isn't the end, Karst.. I'll do anything to save you! Just don't give up... Please!"

She stared at him, her burning red eyes that were so beautiful before were now so dull... Like the few embers that remained after a flame had disappeared.

"It's too late, Felix.. Don't say those things. Please. It will only make it more difficult to go... Don't say... Anything.."

He clutched her hand, determined to restore the warmth she'd once held. The warmth that he'd fallen for, and fought for, and would have died for, if only he could've taken her place. She'd always been there in the cold, as comfort and shelter, but now there was no way to give_ back_ what she'd given _him_.

"Karst.. I- I love you.. Don't leave me now.."

"..."

She didn't answer.

The last few embers had already gone out, before his confession could even leave his lips. Her last few frozen tears glistened on her cheek, and her cold hands were limp in his. Everything had happened so quickly, it didn't seem real to him at the time.

As he lay her body down and stared at the blood on his hands, he took his blade from the floor and turned away. It was heavy, almost too heavy to lift. He hid his tears from the others as he left the room without a word, nor a glance back at the two whom he'd lost. Whom he'd killed. His friends looked at him with concern and confusion, Jenna and Sheba hung their heads and averted their gaze. But he couldn't care less what they thought. For once in his life, his friends meant nothing to him. There was only blood. Blood that would never wash away.

* * *

Twenty up! Don't worry, that's not the end. Twenty-one is coming soon. Thanks for reading, please keep leaving reviews, it really helps to keep me writing!


	21. Bittersweet

Cinders

Twenty-One - Bittersweet

* * *

Felix awoke early the next morning. It was just past dawn, and he'd left to speak to Puelle yet again at his home. He'd decided to finally confide in him why he'd truly returned to Prox. Though he did not know the man well, he trusted him, and he was the only one who could possibly know something Felix did not. At least, that's what he thought. He knew his search would be in vain, but he forged ahead, driven by his dreams of blood, and the heavy blade he carried as his cross.

The door to Puelle's home was unlocked, but he took the time to be courteous and knock. He was answered by a young woman who served as a maid for the village Elder. She recognized him and quickly showed him inside. The Chieftain sat at his table alone, sipping a hot drink. He waved for Felix to sit as well, and he did so.

"What brings you here, Hero of Prox?"

Felix winced. "I'd prefer not to be called that. I'm not much of a hero."

"Well now, I would disagree." Puelle said heartily; a tone that was quite unlike him. "You may be the greatest hero Prox has ever known."

"Well," Felix sighed, "I actually came here to confess something..."

Puelle looked up from his drink, surprised, and then his face took on a somber tone. Felix took a deep breath, ready to be thrown out of the house, and probably the town too, once the Chieftain knew the truth.

"Mars Lighthouse... I told you that we found Agatio and Karst, right? And that they were killed by the dragon we fought?"

Puelle nodded, and asked him to continue.

"That... That was a lie. We found them... But.. The dragon didn't kill them.."

"...You did." Puelle interrupted. "I'd thought as much."

"How did you know?" Felix asked.

"I had my suspicions, though I did not know the truth until just now. I knew how Agatio and Karst were, so full of pride; they wouldn't have let you light the beacon in their stead. It was their duty, and they would have been shamed if they had failed it."

Felix shook his head. "No, you don't understand... They gave the Star to us. They wanted us to do it... But we had no choice, we had to fight them."

Puelle looked puzzled."Now, that doesn't seem like them. Why would they be forced to fight you?"

"They were both changed into monsters... They attacked us.. I had no idea it was really them.."

"I see..." Puelle muttered under his breath. He looked contemplative, but not offended. It was surprising, but perhaps the man understood his plight after all. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"

Felix paused for a moment, thinking over what he might say. There were other things he needed to confess, just, they weren't so simple as telling the truth.

"There was something else I've been thinking about for ages... I need to know..."

Puelle listened intently. Felix hesitated, but for some reason he trusted the man. Perhaps it was because of his kindness all those years ago when he first came to Prox, or maybe he just felt trustworthy in some way he couldn't explain...

"Is it possible, even by some tiny chance, that our peoples could ever be friends..? Is it possible that two of us, a Proxian and a Valian, could ever be... Lovers? Or family?"

Puelle raised an eyebrow. Felix expected as much, it wasn't a simple question in the slightest, but what he hadn't expected was the wide grin that quickly spread across the man's face.

"Our peoples..." He said, "will most likely never be allies. But you, Felix, need not worry about such things. You are one of us, in all but your appearance."

He paused for a moment, and finished his drink. He offered Felix a cup as well. He declined, and waited for Puelle to speak.

"I knew you'd come by me to ask this one day, Felix. You're not as subtle as you think..." He said "Every day since the moment I met you, you've had your eye on her, and no one else."

Felix blinked, and looked at the man in disbelief. He couldn't have known... Was he really that obvious?

"Do you know why partners are forbidden to be lovers, Felix?" Puelle asked, eyebrows flat, a somber expression on his face. Felix shook his head.

"It's quite simple, really. Emotions like love are too rash; too uncontrollable in the heat of battle. If parters were to display those feelings, they would distract them from what must be done in combat..."

Puelle paused, and took a deep sigh. "Complete ignorance, as I see it. The elder wants order, and so I go along with the ways we've established. But by the Gods, the old ways were right. Nothing is more powerful than one partner that would die for the other... Even Saturos and Menardi, our strongest warriors, were lovers..."

Felix looked up at him, confused. Puelle let out a short laugh.

"Yes, I knew about them. In fact, I allowed them, as long as they kept it secret from the elder. Why do you think they were so powerful? They knew the secret to the ancients power... A secret that can only be unlocked through such a powerful bond. Agatio and Karst could never have become something like that... Saturos and Menardi were intimate since childhood, I wasn't about to tear them apart."

Felix smiled at the thought of Saturos and Menardi as children. It seemed quite impossible, but they certainly were, however many years ago. Puelle must have been quite old, too, if he'd watched over the pair from birth. Puelle didn't return the grin, but continued on with his speech without pause.

"Agatio and Karst were never close, like Saturos and Menardi were. They were kept together when they were young, and began their training with you. But they never became anything closer than friends. Friends they were... But I truly never expected what happened with Karst. Unbelievable, to say the least."

He paused for a moment, and eyed Felix up and down, as if inspecting him.

"...Karst came to me, early in the morning, much like you are now. It had nearly been three years since you'd arrived..." He paused, and eyed him again. "She'd come to ask me a favor, and I'd promised her I would oblige, however, she truly took me by surprise. You see, she'd come to ask that I reassign her... To change her partnership, in other words, from the man she'd spent her whole life with... To you."

Felix stared for a second, then opened his mouth to interject, but Puelle interrupted him again.

"A foreigner, and a Valian, no less! I thought she'd hit her head, and was suffering some incredible delusion, but no, that was not the case. She'd truly wanted you to be trained as her partner, to replace Agatio. Though of course, it could never be done. I had to deny her, and she was not one bit happy about it, but it couldn't be helped. Proxians can never change their partners, unless there is some extraordinary falling out between the two and they cannot continue to work together properly. Since I saw nothing of the sort between Agatio and Karst, I could do nothing about it. Even if there was such an issue, a Valian could not be an option."

"So..." Felix said, not quite making sense of all the things Puelle had put before him, "What does it mean? To have someone do something like that?"

"It means," he answered, "She wanted to share a bond with you, unlike anything else. And if she'd be willing to break every law of our people to be with a foreigner, she must have had good reason for doing so. To be partners in war is no simple thing, Felix. If I may be frank, in Proxian culture, it might as well have been a proposal..."

Felix slipped in his chair at Puelle's last few words, and bit his tongue, but didn't quite feel any pain. He didn't taste the blood he knew was there, pooling around his teeth. He stood up, and thanked Puelle for allowing him into his home. Puelle nodded, and remained silent, as if he knew exactly what was going through Felix's head, while the young woman who had greeted him showed Felix out the door.

"_A proposal..._" Felix thought, mouthing the words under his breath. _"Why did he have to use those words?"_

He swallowed a great deal of blood, and some sensation returned to him as he stumbled out into the snow. It was the feeling of cold, and pain. But it was also warmth, now that he finally knew the truth. Or at least, something close to it. It hadn't come from her own mouth, and it truly never would, but finally, undoubtedly, Karst felt something too. He couldn't know for sure if it was the same feeling he felt for her, but it eased his mind to know she cared, even if he could never tell her he felt the same. He wondered, sometimes, if she'd heard him before she passed away, as he told her that he loved her. He'd said those very words, his eyes blinded by tears, and once he'd wiped them away, she'd already passed into the void. It was a heartrending thought: that she'd left the world without knowing what one she cared for so dearly felt about her. Though maybe, like Puelle, she already knew.

He walked a few minutes from the Chieftain's house, and stood by the frozen lake. He looked out upon the banks of snow that surrounded it, and the icy waves that still crashed upon the shore, frozen in time.

_"Now is not the time to reminisce..."_ He thought, but had trouble stopping himself. He wasn't sure whether to curse Puelle or thank him, for making him see all the things he'd so wanted to forget. It wasn't happiness he felt, even though the news was good. It was regret, disappointment, shame. He knew that, had he said something, anything at all, he could have everything he'd ever wanted. He cursed himself for being so foolish, and he cursed himself for hurting Karst, when all she'd ever wanted was his aid.

He knew now that she was gone, and no Psynergy nor Alchemy could bring her back. He'd come to Prox for the very reason of finding out for sure, and now he had, but yet he still did not want to return home. Every part of his body ached, and his torturous thoughts crawled across his head like long-legged spiders, itching every nerve with reminders of his mistakes.

It was time he left her behind him, he knew that. Nothing had ever been so hard, but he simply could not go on living with the guilt. He had to persevere, or else be swallowed up by his past. He would destroy the Sol Blade, or hide it away in some far away place, and erase any memory of her. He would leave Prox, perhaps some day to return, once he'd forgotten his guilt, and he would travel Weyard again until he found some place where he was needed and belonged.  
No matter where he went, though, he wouldn't forget his feelings for her. Perhaps, somehow, she was still out there somewhere, waiting to be found, and he would be ready...

* * *

_The warmth of a little flame once comforted him in the bitter cold, but now all that remains are ashes and regrets. _

_End  
_


	22. Epilogue

_Cinders_

_Epilogue_

* * *

The bitter cold. The smell of blood.

The cold, hard floor was there, too.

The warmth was gone, but now it had returned. Not as a single, comforting presence, but as a radiant light that filled the whole world with the heat of a smoldering flame. Energy and life seemed to flow through everything, driving back the freezing death that filled the air...

As she turned to her partner, Karst could see his eyes open, and see his pained, bloody smile as he saw that she was alive, too.

She'd tasted death; the cold, dark sleep creeping into her soul. Mars had shown mercy on her, and she knew that the beacon was lit as well. Felix had finally finished what they'd started.

Agatio turned to her, and managed to struggle to his feet. He wobbled and nearly fell, but made his way over to her as fast as he could. Karst couldn't stand even if she wanted to. She took his hand and he helped her to her feet, and nearly fell over again as she balanced herself on his wide shoulder. Her legs felt like they weren't even there. In fact, her whole body felt that way.

Neither of them had the strength to leave that room, but they feared what might happen to them should they stay. They had no choice but to start moving, and hope that the beacon had driven off any monsters in and around the Lighthouse. It was difficult to move at first, but the Beacon's light continued to flow strength back into their wounded bodies. Even the gaping wound in Karst's chest had closed, and all the blood had already stopped. Soon after that, her body had stopped aching, and her breath became less labored and painless. She let go of Agatio, and took her first few steps on her own.

"Agatio..." She said, "I can't believe we're alive..."

He nodded. "I can't believe it either, Karst, but it appears to be so."

"You think it was Felix..? He lit the Beacon?"

"Looks like he really pulled through for us, huh." He said.

Karst smiled. She knew he would, no matter what happened before. For once in a long time, she didn't care so much that he'd once betrayed her. But, most of all, his final words still rung in her head:_ "I love you, Karst."_  
It was as if everything she'd hoped for had been given to her, only to be stifled by her death. She believed with all her heart that those words were sincere, despite what had happened before. She couldn't explain it, but she knew. Felix had still been strong enough to love her, no matter how many times she'd hurt him. Even though she'd turned her blade on him, _twice_, and even cursed the ground he'd walked on.

"_If only he were still here..._" She thought, and it made her head spin. She'd never thought he'd cared about her at all; she'd never thought anyone cared about her, save for her sister, and her parents, though she'd never known them. All her life she'd felt alone, like the world hated her just for being alive. Everything had been taken away, even the one person that loved her, and yet now she'd been given a second chance.

Agatio looked at her warily as she stared at her feet, lost in thought. She blinked, and noticed him again, and he shook his head.

"I'm grateful for what Felix did, too. But remember, Karst, he's still the one who drove his blade through your heart."

"No..." She said. "He's not to blame. We are the ones who were deemed unworthy. We couldn't control ourselves... We would have killed him..."

"So you're _forgiving_ him? Even though he _betrayed_ us?" Agatio scowled. "I don't know about you, but I have a few choice words for him next time we meet."

Karst silently looked away. Maybe it was foolish to forgive him, but she had to.

She and Agatio finally arrived at the bottom of Mars Lighthouse, but were surprised to see their way blocked by a great pile of rock and snow.

"Damn it! There must have been an earthquake... There's no way out..." Agatio cursed. Karst stamped her foot and ruffled her messy hair, frustrated. Felix may have still been in Prox, and she had to get there as soon as she could...

Agatio shook her head and eyed her. He sighed.

"Karst, if we return to Prox now, we'll be shamed... Felix surely told them all how we failed.. How we weren't worthy of Mars himself.."

"You don't want to go back?" She said in disbelief.

"I do, but not now. I cannot bear to be shamed by Felix. Besides, we can't return right now anyway."

Karst hesitated a moment, then nodded in agreement. Agatio had a point, and though she wanted nothing less than to return to Prox, she had still failed her people. The shame was something she couldn't handle. Worse, though, she had no one to return to. Menardi was still gone, and Felix was free to leave. He was probably long gone already, back with his_ real_ family in Vale...

"We should go and hide in the mountains, until we can steal a ship." Agatio said. "I must be truthful, Karst, I fear we may be exiled if we return."

"You mean you _never_ want to return? Are you _insane?_ It's our home, Agatio!"

"I do not wish for a home in which I have no honor. One day, I'll return, but only once I have redeemed myself."

Karst sighed. "I see... Redemption... Sounds nice."

Agatio nodded, and started walking back out towards the mountains west of the Lighthouse. Karst stood still for the moment, hesitant to make such a difficult choice: to abandon her home for redemption, or accept the crushing shame of her failure?

"Agatio." She called out to him. "If we must leave, I want to look for Felix."

He nodded, and called back; "Yes, I do as well. We'll find him, and when we do, I'll have a few _choice words_ for his traitorous ass."

She smiled, and took off over to him, kicking up snow with every step as she ran She pushed Agatio on, nearly tripping him up as she did.

"What's got into _you_? You got something to say to Felix too?"

Karst's smile widened, and she ran her hands through her hair, chilly and wet with the fresh snow.

"_Yes... I do."_

* * *

Now comes editing! Thank you for reading, everyone. You're the best.


End file.
